The Justice Card
by Ren Kayashima
Summary: David Rossi continues to be a part of his daughter's life, while also being a member of the FBI's most elite. Part 3 of the Tarot series.
1. Chapter 1

Author: Ren Kayashima

Genre: Family/ Mystery

Rating: T

Disclaimer: Alas my top secret mission to steal the rights to Criminal Minds failed. At the last minute my repel line broke and I was arrested for trespassing on ABC ground. If you would like to help me with bail money…

_**Shout Outs: As promised, all reviewers from the final chapter of The Chariot Card will receive a shout out. Thank you so much **__**dyallon**__** for all of your kind words about the last story. **__**P95000,**__** I love that you tell me everything you like about the chapter. **__**Kimd33**__** you showed up as the story was wrapping up, but you took the time to review every single chapter, and for that, I'm truly grateful.**_

0o0o0o0

Chapter One:

David Rossi was a lot of things. He was an Italian American with an impressive family history. A former Marine, who believed that you could never truly stop being one. His work at the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit was extremely popular among fellow law men and women. He had gained world fame as a published author in the area of True Crime. And more recently, he had become a father to his eighteen year old daughter, Rori.

Rori Morre-Rossi was born and raised by her mother in the sunny state of California. Thoughts of her father were left to the imagination. That is until the summer before her eighteenth birthday. After her mother's death two years prior, Rori's guardian and aunt Kate was left with a decision to make: deny an opportunity of a lifetime, or tell David Rossi that his ex-wife had taken a secret to the grave.

Shortly after meeting his daughter, David had come to realize many things. One: There are something's that are better left unmentioned for the sake of keeping the peace. Such topics generally revolved around the topics like sex and PMS. Two: Under no circumstances are you allowed to enter a teenage girl's bedroom without permission. That is unless you want to be pelleted with stuff animals, pillows, and on rare occasions, shoes. Three: If your daughter is listening to music while chopping vegetables in the kitchen. Wait to enter until she has finished. One ER visit for a cut thumb is quite enough. And four, which is probably the most important: Do not leave her alone for the day with nothing to do. She will rearrange the furniture so that it is to her liking and not yours.

As Dave was pondering these four realizations in his home office, Rori was making her way up the driveway in her silver Ford Mustang. Like her father, the teen had thick black hair that she had pulled into a ponytail. Her green eyes gleamed from behind a pair of forest green plastic rimmed glasses. When she was standing she was five six, five nine in a decent pair of heels.

She slid out from behind the wheel and popped the trunk. He classic school attire was a pair of jeans, black Converse All-Stars, and a one tone t-shirt. As the weather got warmer, she switched this simple outfit for shorts, flip flops, and a tank top. When it was cold, she wore layer thermal shirts and t-shirts, wool coats, and warm fuzzy boots.

She grabbed her backpack and headed inside, locking her car as she pushed the front door open. "Dad?" she asked.

Dave looked up form the latest draft of his new book. "In my office," he called.

Rori came into the office with a wide smile. Mostly, the offices use was reserved for writing and meetings with an editor or publisher. But, every once in a while it was where the father and daughter would sit and talk about their day.

"How was class?" Dave asked.

Rori dropped her backpack into a chair and fell into her usual spot on the large overstuffed brown reading chair. "It was… educational," she answered slowly.

"I certainly hope so. Seeing as I'm paying for your private education," Dave grunted as he closed his laptop.

While Rossi was off chasing America's sickest and most depraved, Rori attended college at Georgetown University. She wrote articles for the school paper, and studied late into the night at the school's library. Even with an established IQ at the genius level, she still found herself working hard to stay a step ahead of the professors, while still maintaining a somewhat decent social life. Dave and Rori had a deal in play. So long as she kept her grades up, he would continue to pay her college tuition, leaving the teen to worry about other things.

"Are you going to New York this weekend?" Dave asked.

Rori made monthly trips to the Big Apple as a part of her job. She was a fan of Japanese animation, and had snagged a job as a voice actor. Originally taking the job to pay for college, Rori now did it for fun, and to fund her many exploits in the D.C shopping mall.

"Yep," Rori popped. "I only have a few things to record. Right now, my character doesn't have a big part."

"So does this mean that you'll be coming back to D.C early?"

"Probably not. I'll finish Sunday morning, but I'm going to hang around the city and catch my usual evening flight," Rori explained.

"Okay," Dave nodded. "Do you have any homework?"

"Loads, but yay for me, I've set up a plan and schedule to get it all done in time," Rori smirked as she slouched farther in her seat.

"Good," Dave nodded as he rubbed his eyes tiredly.

"So how did the child abduction case go?"

"We found the boy just past the twenty-four hour mark," Dave sighed. "He's alive and in his parents arms once more," he told her. He knew from experience what it was like to lose your child for a moment. The panic you feel is like no other feeling in the world.

Thomas Wilkes was abducted from his front yard. His parents were frantic and had been fast to contact the police. This largely contributed to the BAU's success in finding the eight year old boy. He had been grabbed by a family friend, and Seaver had quickly caught on to him during an interview. Rossi had come to the conclusion that the cadet was on her way to becoming a decent profiler.

"That' fantastic," Rori said.

Dave stood up. "Let's go get some dinner. Does Phoenix Garden sound okay?"

"Chinese sounds perfect after a long day of lectures," Rori moaned.

Dave pulled out his wallet and checked to make sure everything was in order. "I let the dogs out early since I had gotten home before you."

"Cool, I'm sure they appreciate it."

The Rossi's had three dogs. Mudgie, the oldest, was a brown Labrador. Perfect for hunting at the lake and a perfect friend of man. Zenzen, or Zen, as Rori had later shortened it, was a Shiba Inu with lots of energy and a playful air crammed into orange fur and curled tail. Chouchou, or Chou, was an Akita and the most docile of Rori's dogs.

Zen and Chou had been graduation gifts, and they were a strong indicator that family members should discuss all potential gifts before actually buying them. However, Rori loved the two dogs to death and they spent their nights on her bed, and provided moral support after a long day.

Rori gave her dad a hug before skipping out of his office. He rolled his eyes and shook his head, but smiled nonetheless. He quietly mused about the last nine months with Rori.

Rori had originally believed that her mother, Christine, had died in a car crash. After two months of living with Dave though, she had come to find out that it was a clever lie. During a trip to Scotland, Rori and her mother had been kidnapped by serial killers. Rori had managed to escape, but Christine hadn't been so lucky.

Kate had lied to Rori after she realized that the teen had not recollection of the Scotland trip. After discovering some inconsistencies with Rori's injuries from a 'car accident', Hotch and Rossi decided to look into the small vacation. They broke the news to Rori shortly after finding out that Christine had been murdered.

One of the serial killers had 'fallen in love' with Rori, and came to the United States to make her love him back. Just before the start of the school year, Collin MacGregor had kidnapped Rori and kept her locked in a room for two weeks.

Dave had been racked with worry, but in the end he had been able to hug Rori for the first time since he found out about her. That day he made a promise to himself, to be there when his daughter needed him.

On Rori's eighteenth birthday, while interviewing a foreign humanitarian, she had been abducted a third time. This time she ended up in a three day coma at the end of the day.

Notwithstanding, this series of unfortunate events had only brought Rori and Dave closer together. They made dinner together, did the household chores together, and in general, made time for the other.

Dave locked the front door and turned to find Rori sitting on the hood of her car. "Your car or mine?" she asked.

Dave rolled his eyes again, but smiled. "We'll take yours," he said.

Rori grinned and slid off the silver car. She unlocked the doors before tossing the keys to her dad. He caught them in one hand. "You can drive," she said as she opened the passenger side door.

"Okay, but you have to drive home," Dave said.

"Okie dokie," Rori chirped as she slipped into the passenger seat.

0o0o0o0

Author's Note: Well, I think that this is a great start to a new story. Certainly better than the others I've written. I wanted to write this chapter as an introduction. Something that sets it up for all the adventures to come in this one. I sense many laughs on my part for this story, so I hope you all like it as well.

Drop me a review telling me what you think of the beginning of Rossi and Rori's new adventure. I love hearing from you and I'm going to continue with the shout outs. So please look for your names in the next chapter.

Ja ne.

Shane


	2. Chapter 2

Author: Ren Kayashima

Genre: Family/ Mystery

Rating: T

Disclaimer: Alas my top secret mission to steal the rights to Criminal Minds failed. At the last minute my repel line broke and I was arrested for trespassing on ABC ground. If you would like to help me with bail money…

0o0o0o0

Chapter Two:

Dave leaned back in his seat. His spine gave of a series of pops. With a sigh, he relaxed into his chair once more and looked at his paperwork. At least his seat was of the highest quality. That way he was comfortable as he worked on the tedious task.

"Knock knock," Rori greeted.

Rossi looked up to find Rori standing in the doorway. She had a smiled and three large pizza boxes. "Dinner for the team?" he asked.

Rori nodded. "Garcia called. She said it was going to be a late night, so I picked up some dinner and brought it in for the gang."

"What did you get?" Dave asked.

"Sausage peperoni combo, cheese, and chicken and garlic." Rori answered as she lifted the boxes slightly. "I'm going to set these up in the conference room. I suspect we'll have some left overs."

"I'll go grab the plates and napkins," Dave told her as he pushed himself out of his seat with a grunt.

"Ranch too. I like to dip my pizza," Rori smiled. She turned to the small distance to the conference room.

Hotch joined her and took a seat at the round table. "Thank you for bringing us some food. We probably would have ordered from the Indian place down the street, and it's been a long day."

"You just got back from a case," Rori said. "There's a lot of paper work involved when you get back. It was the least I could do. It was Garcia's suggestion anyway. With my car in the shop I'm taking the train and the pizza place just outside the station allowed me to pick it up on my way in."

"How's school?"

"Long," Rori sighed. "But I'm definitely getting the material."

Hotch nodded as he wondered why the plates were taking so long to get to the table. He wanted couple slices of pizza and a plate was required. "That's good."

Morgan came in with Garcia. "Pizza!" she cheered as she scooted her seat in.

Prentiss, Seaver, and Reid came in with smiles and empty stomachs. They sat down around the table. Rori looked at Prentiss and studied the smile on her lips, but the nervousness in her eyes.

"Emily, I got Chicken garlic. Your favorite right?" Rori asked with a gentle grin.

Emily shook away her feelings of apprehension and smiled back at the college student. "Thank you Rori."

"I have a fun game if anyone is interested in getting their mind off of paperwork," Rori said with a raised eyebrow.

Everyone grabbed plates and napkins as Rossi dropped them on the table unceremoniously. Dave took a seat next to Rori and looked at her as she skirted some ranch dressing into a small cup. "What's the rating on this game?" he grunted. Some of them were childish, devilish, or weird.

"Depends on the responses of each person, but we can impose a PG-13 rating if we must," Rori answered before taking a slice of the pepperoni combo and dipping it into the creamy ranch.

"Okay shoot," Morgan said as he served himself up a couple of slices.

"You wake up in a psych ward next to me. Using only four words, what would you say?" Rori smirked as she crossed her legs on the chair.

"That's easy," Garcia laughed. "What the hell happened?"

"Wait, where are we?" Seaver added before taking a bite.

Morgan leaned back in his seat and stretched. "No, no. We belong," he grinned.

"We have matching jackets!" Garcia stated in mock excitement. She hugged herself to make it look like she was being restrained.

"I like this jacket," Prentiss supplied as she grabbed another slice.

"Did you feed Mudgie?" Rossi grumbled knowing his daughter would drag him in eventually. He worked on thinking of the next one for when his turn came again.

"Get me out, now," Hotch said jumping in after he finished a slice of the chicken.

Rori looked at Reid, who had started to shift. "What would you say Spencer?" she asked.

"I've seen this show," Reid stated.

Morgan leaned forward in his seat once more to grab more food. "Did you just weave in a 'Lost' reference?" he asked.

Reid nodded as Rori found two more phrases. "Are we in 'Lost'. Oh, and is this a dream?"

"All right," Garcia said before anyone could continue. "Let's see who can come up with the most responses."

"Are there rules?" Hotch asked. It would appear that coming up with four words was harder than he thought it would be.

"No rules, except for the four words thing." Rori smiled as she pulled a pen and notebook from her bag.

"Where are my pills," Morgan laughed.

"Okay… here's the plan," Seaver smirked.

"Quick, chew my straps," Prentiss said excitedly, forgetting all her nerves for the moment.

"Where are my pancakes?" Rori asked as she started to tally everyone's results.

An hour later Rossi was guiding Rori out of the academy. "Thank you Rori. For dinner and an interesting dinner conversation."

Rori smiled up at him. Her dad had a hard job. He looked into the faces of evil. The least she could do was bring a little light to his world. A smile, a laugh, that's all she could do to help, but on nights like this, it worked. "No prob dad," she said as she looked at the stars.

0o0o0o0

Rossi found his daughter's bedroom door open. He looked inside and found research books scattered across the floor. Note cards had jotted down references, and pages were marked with neon sticky notes.

Rori came out of the bathroom in her pajama bottoms and a tank top. She held a damp tail to her head as she gently massaged the long strands of black hair. "What's with the look of sheer disbelief?" she asked walking over. She leaned over to peek in her room and smiled. "It's a research project."

"For what?" Dave asked. He tried to think about the research papers he did in college. What were they, four, maybe five pages?

"Developmental psych," Rori answered. "I'm doing a project on how people learn," she explained as she entered her room. "There's a lot of interesting stuff."

Dave shook his head. "Don't stay up too late," he told her.

Rori gave him a quick hug before moving back to her books. She used her foot to kick some books closed as she continued to dry her hair. "Good night dad!" she yelled.

Dave sighed as he entered his own room. "Good night Rori."

The next morning Rori woke up to the smell of bacon. She crawled out of her warm comforter. As she tiredly made her way to the door, she slipped on a book and fell on her butt. Zen and Chou looked at her from their places on her bed. "Not to self: Do not leave books on the floor before bed," she grumbled.

A minute later she was sliding into the breakfast nook of the large high quality kitchen. The counters were a dark marble and the appliances were a stainless steel. The cabinetry was made with a light brown wood. Rossi stood at the stove as she flipped a fried egg over.

"Did you slip on a book again?" he asked smiling as he shifted the bacon in its separate pan.

"I think it was my first psych textbook, but I didn't look," Rori mumbled as she slouched down in the bench seat.

"We have to go grocery shopping today," Dave told her. "Do we need anything else while we're out?"

Rori looked up at the ceiling in thought. "I need a haircut," she said. "Maybe I'll have them redo my layers."

"You had a haircut a month ago," Dave told her.

"Hair grows fast," Rori slid her gaze to her father's head. "You could use one too."

Dave rolled his eyes up to look at his hair. He guessed Rori was right. It had been a while since his last visit to the barber.

"If the barber touches your facial hair, I'll move to shoot him with your own gun," Rori stated darkly as Dave unconsciously touched his beard.

"Why?" Dave asked.

"I've seen you without it, and it looks weird," Rori mumbled. "Where's my coffee?" she asked as she stood up. Her father pointed to the coffee pot in the corner of the kitchen.

"Oh there is a god," Rori moaned as Dave handed her mug.

"Maybe, but that brew is courtesy of your dad today," Rossi said as he served up a plate for Rori.

Rori took the plate and her coffee to the table and slid back into her original seat. Rossi took the seat across from her a minute later. He salted his eggs slightly and watched as Rori copied him. "How's Kenta?"

Rori took a bite of crispy bacon. "Busy. We're going on a date tomorrow, but that's really all we can do because we have full course loads."

"So you aren't able to spend as much time together," Dave nodded. It reminded him of his three failed marriages. One of them being Rori's mother.

"We deal with what we can."

Kenta Kayashima was Rori's boyfriend. They started dating over the summer, but with unforgiving school schedules and work, the two only had time to themselves once a week. And David Rossi was counting his lucky stars. As long as the two didn't get _too_ close, Rori was still his innocent little flower.

"Where are you going on your date?"

Rori smirked as she swallowed a sip of coffee. "Why, we're going to his house so that we can have mad gorilla sex of course," she teased.

Rossi choked on his food and started to cough. His eyes popped out of his head as he started at his daughter began giggling hysterically. "I'm kidding dad," she stated. "We're just going to the movies."

Dave started to grumble incoherently as Rori quietly laughed to herself.

0o0o0o0

Author's Note: And we've come to the end of chapter two. That was king of fun. I know it's short, but bear with me. It's still nice and sweet, which is how a lot of these stories start off anyway. I love the sweetness and then later on, when the time seems right, I hit you with the serious!

Drop me a review letting me know what you think. You know I love reading all of your reviews. It's a great pleasure to see that everyone is enjoying the work I put out there.

I have a twitter if anyone wants to follow me. I like to put up interesting facts for my stories on there, as well as the links to all of my chapters. Some people who don't like to review in person talk to me on twitter. If you do end up following me, I'll follow you as well.

Ren/Shane


	3. Chapter 3

Author: Ren Kayashima

Genre: Family/ Mystery

Rating: T

Disclaimer: Alas my top secret mission to steal the rights to Criminal Minds failed. At the last minute my repel line broke and I was arrested for trespassing on ABC ground. If you would like to help me with bail money…

_**Shout Outs: I do so appoligize for not putting in a shout out for last week. I wasn't at my fullest attention. So, thank you **__**dyallon**__** for you continued support of my stories. I do so love seeing your comments in a review and on twitter. Thank you**__** booksandmusic97**__**, you're review make me smile. **__**Kimd33,**__** thank you for finding this story interesting enough to read the entire series and review every single chapter. And a final thank you to my in person friend and Fanfic sister **__**Natsumi Wakabe**__**. I love that you decided to get an account so that you can occasionally post and review. You're awesome. **_

0o0o0o0

Chapter Three:

Rori took a seat across from her boyfriend and long term friend Kenta. Kenta was a twin and his brother Kaoru worked with Rori to compose music. Kenta was tall and a Japanese ex-patriot. He had shaggy black hair and dark brown eyes.

The young couple had decided to change things up when it came to their study time. They sat in a local Georgetown Starbucks with their laptops. Rori was quickly pounding out an essay on the World Trade Organization while Kenta was trying to make a program for a complex web page.

Rori looked at him over the edge of her glasses. "Do you want more coffee?"

"Can you set an IV up for me?" Kenta sighed. "Why? Are you going to get another cup?"

Rori shook her head. She looked at the other resident caffeine addicts. A tired mother sat on a couch talking on her cell phone about her third grader getting into a fight on the school playground. There were two gamers off in a corner playing WoW. The table next to Rori's held another tired working college student.

Outside the chain coffee shop a fresh rain had made the ground slick with oil and water. Car filled up the parking lot for their after work gym hours and a quick dinner at Subway.

The college student started picking up her stuff. She looked at Rori. "Would you mind keeping an eye on my things while I use the bathroom?" she asked.

"Go ahead," Rori smiled.

As the girl disappeared into the bather Rori watched as a green Ford Explorer whipped around a corner of the wet parking lot. The large SUV spun out of control and came through the window a Rori and Kenta fell back in their sears. The table where the college student had just been flew forward taking out Rori and Kenta's table.

In the front seat of the SUV was a young teenager. He slipped out of the car and looked at the damage he caused. Another teen, this one a girl, sat in the passenger seat looking really shocked.

Rori looked at her crushed MacBook and Kenta's shattered Viao. Coffee was spilled on the ground and slowly started to soak up into her jeans. "My essay," she whispered as her eyes started to tear up. Kenta moved around the mess and picked up the broken computers. He looked at the teen that had been driving.

"What exactly were you trying to prove?" he asked.

The college student from before came out of the bathroom and paled when she saw her laptop lying on the ground and her books soaked with coffee.

"What happened!" she screamed.

The unknown driver started to stutter. "I'm sorry; I lost control of my car."

Rori looked up at him. "No shit! You were going twenty-five in a wet parking lot," she growled. "You're lucky you didn't kill someone with that stupid stunt.

Kenta set the computers down, not wishing to damage them any further. He walked over to Rori and helped her up. She looked at her wet bottom and groaned. "Are my clothes still in your car?" she asked.

"You're handling this well," Kenta smiled.

"I'd really like to punch the little prick, but at the moment, I'm too busy thinking about divine intervention."

David Rossi ripped the door open and stormed in. He had come to surprise Rori and take her to dinner, but as he was driving he saw the car crash into the window.

He looked at the damage and then locked on Rori. "What the hell happened!" he shouted.

"Divine intervention," Rori answered. She pointed to the college student who had been in the bathroom. "She was sitting where the car crashed, but had gotten up to go to the bathroom. Not a minute after doing so, this fool," she pointed to the driver. "Decided that he was going to gun it in a wet parking lot."

Rossi looked at the driver. "What were you trying to prove?" he asked, more like growled.

Rori hopped over the debris and headed for Kenta's Ford Escape to get some dry clothes. It had been her experience that having extra clothes in any car you spent a majority of your time in wasn't a bad thing. There was a small duffel bag in her car, Kenta's car, and even her fathers. Just in case.

Ten minutes later Rori was packing up her wet books and broken computer into her soaking wet backpack. This was what happened when you stopped drinking your coffee after only a couple sips. Everything got wet, the pages in the books would start to stick and the ink would be unreadable. A liquid was seeping out of the cracks on her screen. She looked at the teen driver. "Along with paying for the cost to repair this store, you own tree college students new computers and a new set of books."

The teen driver started to stutter as police guided him to a corner to talk. Dave looked at Rori. "Are you okay?"

Rori held up her backpack and a couple drops of coffee dripped onto the sticky floor. "No, my essay on the WTO isn't finished, I need a new computer and textbooks, and my favorite pair of jeans are going to be stained with coffee. So no, I'm not okay!"

Rossi sighed. The mall would still be open. He could take her to get a new MacBook and hopefully get all the old information transferred over. They could do that. Right? He looked at the mess. Rori needed her books for school, but now they would only be good for recycling. She couldn't wait for the kid's parent to fork over the money two months from now. Rossi would just have to be reimbursed later.

"Come on; let's get you a new laptop. I'll give you some money for new books tomorrow," Dave sighed. He looked at Kenta assuming that Rori's boyfriend could get home on his own. "Are you going to be okay?"

"Yeah, I have to get all my programming off my broken laptop and onto a new one, but it should be fine," he answered. He kissed Rori on the forehead. When her father was around, a kiss on the lips was strictly forbidden. "I'll see you at the bookstore tomorrow morning," he told her.

Rori nodded and gave his hand a quick squeeze before she joined her father. She gained a deep scowl as they made their way over to his SUV. Dave wrapped an arm around her. "Try and find a bright side," he smiled weakly. After all, had Rori and Kenta been sitting next to the window they could have been seriously hurt.

"My stuff is ruined!" Rori exclaimed.

"It could be worse," Dave said. "You could be on your way to the hospital with a broken leg."

Rori stopped walking and thought about it. "Good point."

"We'll get you your computer, and then we'll get dinner."

Rori looked at her dad's gentle and tired face. She gave him a sideways hug slapping his knee with her backpack. "Okay."

Dave mentally groaned as he hugged her back. His pants were slightly damp after she pulled her backpack away. "I'm glad you weren't hurt."

Rori smiled. "Me too."

Later that night Rossi found Rori sitting in the family room. The TV was on and playing an episode of _NCIS_ as she quickly typed away on her new computer. She was wearing her green glasses and had pulled her thick hair out of her face.

"You should head to bed," Dave told her as he leaned on the back of the couch.

"Ten more minutes and I'll be done," Rori grinned. "I'm so happy I programmed myself to save after every paragraph."

Dave ruffles up her hair and bent down to kiss her on the head. "You work too much," he said. "If you have time before the due date, take it."

"You work too much too," Rori pointed out. "But that doesn't stop you."

"If I stop, the bad guys get away."

"Well if I don't work hard, I fail." Rori laughed.

"We can't have that," Rossi teased. He patted her on the shoulder. "Ten more minutes, then we're both going to bed," he said before heading to his office.

Rori typed up the last sentence of her essay and grabbed her phone to text Emily.

_May your dreams be warm and light as they take you on an incredible journey to places unknown. Good night Emily._

She frowned after she sent it. Emily had been jumpy and distant. Maybe a lighthearted text would make her smile. Rori didn't know what was going on, but Emily had stopped speaking to her in French and she was starting to worry.

0o0o0o0

Author's Note: Well here is the third chapter. I hope you liked it. I wanted to put something somewhat exciting. Because of this week's episode of Criminal Minds, I've decided that the next chapter will be Rori's side of what's going on while Prentiss and the team are in Boston. What do you think? It won't be all of it, just some key bits and pieces.

I almost wasn't going to be able to post. I didn't get a proper grade on my music test this week. But, my teacher had said something that was particularly hurtful to my fragile ego as a student and my guardian took pity on me. She's allowing me to continue writing and posting, so long as I get some studying in as well. So updates won't be quick, but they should be like before. Once a week probably.

Oh and Happy St. Patrick's Day from me to you. I hope you don't get to drunk. Well for those of you that can drink.

Ja Ne.

Ren/Shane


	4. Chapter 4

Author: Ren Kayashima

Genre: Family/ Mystery

Rating: T

Disclaimer: Alas my top secret mission to steal the rights to Criminal Minds failed. At the last minute my repel line broke and I was arrested for trespassing on ABC ground. If you would like to help me with bail money…

_**Shout Outs: As promised I have shout outs for y'all. Thank you **__**dyallon**__**, **__**Kimd33,**____**Natsumi Wakabe**__**,**__**P95000,**__** and **__**hxchick. **__** I appreciate seeing all of your review. Whether they are through or through twitter.**_

0o0o0o0

Chapter Four:

"Why run? We're her family," Reid said.

The BAU team stood in the bullpen and every member was worried. Rori came out of the elevator, but kept her distance as she watched the team talk. She swallowed hard, she and Emily were supposed to go to dinner and spend the entire night acting like French tourists. The female agents hadn't responded to Rori's three phone calls, two emails, and six text messages.

"Doyle's killing families. She's not married, not close to relatives. He was ready to wipe us out. She ran to protect us," Rossi stated.

"Emily's gone?" Rori spoke up. "Why?" she demanded to know.

She looked at her dad as the team looked at her in shock. "Rori, what are you doing here?"

"Emily and I… we were supposed to go to dinner," Rori said walking up to her father. "Dad, what's going on? Is Emily all right?"

Rossi tried to place a comforting hand on Rori's shoulder but she backed up. "We're trying to figure it out," he told her.

Rori held on to her bag strap tightly as she looked at the ground. "Please," she whispered. "Please tell me she's going to be okay." She thought about her mom and tried to shake away the sinking feeling of dread that had taken root in her gut.

0o0o0o0

Emily sat in her car trying to compose herself after listening to Garcia's voicemail, but there was still one message.

"**Pen tried this number, so I figured I would try it too. You didn't call to cancel, which already tells me that this is a serious situation you're in," Rori spoke. Her voice was small and afraid. "Emily, I'm not mad or anything. I'm scared. This Doyle guy… he's worse than Collin and his dad. He's not going to stop chasing you, and I don't know why. Your family can't help you fight him if you don't let them know what's going on. You aren't alone. Please Emily. Come back home."**

Emily hung up the phone and hated herself for what she was about to do. There was a chance that she wouldn't come back alive. Then Rori really would hate her.

She got out of her car, ready to face Doyle.

0o0o0o0

Dave let out a tired sigh. He had just forced Seaver to profile a friend. No, Prentiss was more than a friend. She was family. He looked up when a pair of Kelly green all-stars popped into his line of sight. "Rori, how did you get here?" he asked.

"Kenta's dad activated a hidden GPS app on your phone," Rori explained. "I had it put on so that I could make sure that I always knew where you were. I wanted to be here when you brought Emily back."

Rossi stood up thinking about his witness that had just been murdered without remorse. "No," he stated firmly. "This is not a place to be right now. Seaver was almost shot. I'm not going to let you stay here. I'll have-"

"You're bat shit crazy if you think that you're sending me home!" Rori yelled drawing attention to the father and daughter. "She's my family too!"

"Rori, you're going back to Virginia," he said waving a junior agent over.

"Dad!" Rori continued to yell. "Emily is one of the few people I can call a sister. We laugh, cry, and smile together. And right now a terrorist has her. You don't negotiate with terrorist. Everyone knows this. I don't want your team… our family… I don't want to lose Emily. I can't lose another family member to a murderer." She blinked back some tear. "Dad, please, I need to be here. So that when you bring Emily back, I can give her a hug. I need her to know that she isn't alone." She started to cry silently as she hugged herself.

Rossi waved the junior agent off. She sat Rori down in a chair and brushed her tears away. "Rori, we're doing everything we can to bring Prentiss back," he sighed. "You can stay, but you must stay in this building away from the windows. You can't leave until I call you."

Rori sniffed and wiped her nose with her coat sleeve. She nodded and pulled out her phone. "Dad, I'm afraid."

"I know," Dave said. "Me too."

Dave hugged her and held her close while she shook. He let her go when the team was called to attention.

As they left to bring one of their own back home, Rori joined Penelope in her corner of computers. Garcia handed her a smiling blue haired troll. Rori smiled and rested her hands in her lap as she started bleary eyed at the children's toy.

"I worried too," Garcia said pulling Rori into another hug. "We just have to hope for the best."

0o0o0o0

As they sat in the waiting room, the team all had different things that they were focused on. In hopes of stopping the worry, Hotch was formulating a plan to stop Ian Doyle in his tracks. Morgan was determined to let Emily know proud he was. Reid was thinking about all of the conversations that had taken place on the metro train. Ashley focused on everything that the older agent taught her. The stuff you couldn't find in a book. Garcia mentally made a list of items that would be going into Emily's get well bag. Rossi thought about his mentor like relationship with the brunette.

Rori sat separate from the team. If anyone approached her, she switched seats. She had blank sheet music in front of her as she quickly jotted down the musical half notes, quarter notes, and fermatas. She would occasionally stop writing and bite at the skin around her nails. Headphones hung out of her ears to block out the sounds of everyone else's worry.

JJ came in somberly and looked at everyone. Rori watched from her own corner of the room as Garcia burst into tears, she watched as Reid broke down in JJ's arms.

Dave moved next to Rori as Hotch left the room. He looked at the sheets of aqua music notes as tear drops stained the pages. He pulled the binder and paper from Rori's finger and set them aside before pulling her close as she started to sib uncontrollably. He rested his head on top of hers as she clung to his suit jacket.

0o0o0o0

Emily Prentiss was given a brilliant funeral. As her family carried her heavy casket to her final resting place, Garcia and Rori followed quietly in their unusual black attire. Rori wore her Kelly green all-stars simply because Prentiss had been the one to give them to her. She held her violin case in one hand and a single rose in the other.

A couple hundred feet west rested Christine Morre and Hayley Hotchner. Both family to the BAU and bother ripped away by murderers.

After Prentiss was given a proper Catholic send off and after Rori had rested her rose on the dark wood casket, the college student pulled out her violin and played Amazing Grace. As she drew to a finish, she shifted into a song of her own creation: A slow tune with a slight Irish feel to it.

She wanted an Irish jig for the lighthearted FBI agent, but the teen felt that upbeat and dance worth music was more suited for when everyone got together at the Rossi household later. So, she changed it to a slower and sadder version of the song she wanted to play. She stuck to the lowest range possible and made the melodic notes longer.

Rori stood at the grave until the casket was lowered completely into the ground. She brushed off her father as she made the small trek to her mother's grave. She leaned against the back of Christine Morre's tombstone and looked up at the sky.

The weather had been kind. There wasn't a single cloud in sight.

"She shouldn't have dies," Rori told the cold stone tablet. "She was a good person. She only did what she had too. I don't see why she should have been the one to die. It should have been that bastard Ian Doyle."

There was a pause as Rori took a stuttering breath. Rossi came walking over and stood next to her. He smiled at his daughter. Rori laughed at herself angrily. "Look at me," she said throwing her hands up in the air. "Why am I crying? I should have expected it. Only the good die young, right?"

"Talking to your mother again?" Dave asked.

"It's not fair," Rori sniffed. "She didn't get to hear the song I made for her."

Rossi hugged Rori. "I know."

But Prentiss did hear it. As Emily sat recovering in the hospital, JJ recorded the funeral secretly. JJ knew that the song was important. Something made for Emily, so she made sure that the 'dead' FBI agent was able to hear both versions.

0o0o0o0

Author's Note: Okay, everyone should know that this chapter was hard to write. I don't like writing sad scenes. It's one of those things that have only happened in a couple of chapter before. I'm overly emotional I guess, because as I was writing this chapter, I cried a little. SHHH don't tell anyone.

Anyway, drop me a review letting me know what you think. I love to hear from y'all, so I look forward to hearing from you.

Ren/Shane


	5. Chapter 5

Author: Ren Kayashima

Genre: Family/ Mystery

Rating: T

Disclaimer: Alas my top secret mission to steal the rights to Criminal Minds failed. At the last minute my repel line broke and I was arrested for trespassing on ABC ground. If you would like to help me with bail money…

_**Shout Outs: For all the lovely reviewers of the last chapter! The last chapter was kind of sad wasn't it… Thank you **__**dyallon**__**, **__**P95000**__**, and **__**Kimd33**__**. Reading your reviews was awesome. Enjoy this next installment.**_

0o0o0o0

Chapter Five:

Dave sat on his bed at the luxury Boston hotel as a deep feeling of dread settled in his stomach.

It could be worse. At least Rori was with him. He could do this. He thought about the alternative plan for Rori and mentally shivered as he let out a low groan. He could have said no, but then _she_ called. He couldn't say no to her. It was impossible. What would his mother have said after she found out?

_0o Two Weeks Ago o0_

_Dave sat in his home office looking over one of Rori's articles for the school paper. It was dedicated to Emily and highlighted the many family friendly adventured that the BAU had shared. _

_He set the crisp white pages down to mark them when his phone rang. He saw his mother's caller ID and had a minor stroke. He picked up the phone reluctantly and answered after a brief pause._

"_Hello?"_

"_David, it's your mother."_

_Dave sighed. Thank God for caller ID. It created a whole new system for avoiding people. Unfortunately this did not apply to when your mother was calling… "How are you mama?" he asked._

"_I'd be better if you told me that you and Rori will be at Amy's for Spring Break," Mama Rossi stated._

_Rori came in to the office with her laptop and plopped herself in her usual brown reading chair. She pulled her hair into a ponytail as she watched her father listen to Mama Rossi._

_Where is Spring Break this year?" he asked his mother._

"_Japan with Kenta," Rori whispered._

_Rossi covered the mouthpiece of his phone. "You're not allowed to go to Japan with your boyfriend," he told Rori. _

_Rori looked at her father in shock. "But I didn't get to go to Japan this summer," she stated._

"_No," Dave said._

"_You suck!" she whispered harshly._

"_I'm a dad, it's in the job description," Dave answered. He turned his attention back to his phone call and listened briefly while Mama Rossi yelled at her husband. "Mama, where is Spring Break this year?"_

"_Oh, it's at Amy's this year. You'd have to stay in a hotel because the kids are on break as well so the house will be full. Isn't it great that Georgetown will be on break at the same time as the rest of the cousin's colleges?"_

_Dave sighed. "Yeah, it's great," he said. When what he really meant was, __**Damn you Georgetown. Pick another week**__. "I'll have to see if I can get the time off. I'll let you know next week."_

"_You better," Mama Rossi said curtly. "Tell Rori I love her."_

"_I will mama. Good bye," Dave hung up the phone and looked at his daughter who had a Cheshire like grin on her face._

"_So, where is Spring Break this year?" she asked raising an eyebrow. _

"_Home. It's safe and away from the family, and Kenta will be across an entire ocean," Dave explained._

"_Jeez dad. You used to like Kenta," Rori smiled. _

"_That was before he started hugging you so close, and before you started coming home with hickeys," Dave grunted._

_Rori stared at him like a fish out of water but shook her head after a second. "You still have yet to introduce me to the rest of the family," Rori said. "I'm sure it can't be that bad."_

_Rossi sighed yet again. She had no idea what it was like. "I'm almost done with your article."_

"_Cool. Dad we should go. Even it is does turn out to be a disaster."_

"_It's at my sister Amy's place," Dave explained. "She lives in Boston."_

"_Boston is pretty kick ass."_

"_You've been to Boston?" Dave asked curiously._

"_Yep," Rori popped. "Went to an Anime Con there once. It was cool. There are a lot of people who like __**Dark Truths**__ there."_

_Dave rolled his eyes how his daughter managed to do everything that she had at only eighteen astounded him. She's been to England, Scotland, China, Korea, Japan, Egypt, Russia, and France. She was a voice artist, and a college student with a promising future._

_Rori turned her attention back to her laptop as Dave's phone rang again. She laughed slightly and shook her head._

"_A busy day for phone calls," she said._

_Dave picked up and answered tiredly. Family could be a real drain on human emotion. "Hello?"_

"_Hey Dave," a soft female voice spoke. He sat up in his seat and looked at Rori._

"_Amy," Dave said sitting up. She was his favorite sister. "How are you?"_

"_I'm good," Amy answered. "Mom called me. She said that you and Rori would be joining us for Spring Break. That's your daughter's name right? Rori?"_

"_Uh… yes it's Rori," he said. "I told mama that I would see if I could make it to Boston."_

"_I hope you can," Amy said. "It's been a few years since we've seen you. Your niece and nephews are always following your cases through the news. They made me get a subscription to a Georgetown college paper after they found some article about the victims that you put to rest. They really like the writer's style."_

"_Those are Rori's article," Dave smiled as he lit up with pride. "How do you know about them?"_

"_Jessica found them when she googled you a month ago. Rori writes them… huh… I guess she is a bit like you."_

_Dave held back a scoff. Rori was more like his sister Isabella when it came to school, but had Joseph's love for music._

"_I'll talk to the director tomorrow. Are Bella and her family coming too?"_

"_Yes. Joseph is coming with mom and dad," Amy said hoping to persuade her brother even further._

"_All right. Plan for Rori and I to be there," Dave stated giving in. _

"_Okay! I can't wait to meet Rori," Amy said excitedly. "It's been a while since we've seen you too. Everyone misses the Rossi wild child."_

_Dave shook his head. "I'll talk to you later when I have things set in stone."_

"_Bye Dave." _

_Dave hung up and rubbed his face as Rori snickered. "I saw that," he mumbled._

"_I take it we're going to Boston?"_

_He nodded and leaned back in his seat. He should have said no. _

Rori entered the room and looked at her father. She was in a pair of light blue jeans and a white graphic tee. She wore a black satin vest over her outfit and had on her usual pair of all black all stars.

"We can leave," Dave said hoping his daughter would go along with it. "I could come down with a sudden case of the flu."

"Come on dad," Rori rolled her eyes. "You make it sound like the disaster of all disasters."

Dave looked at Rori in disbelief. Why wasn't she taking him seriously? He wasn't kidding. Family events like this ended up with visits to the ER, and stories you never wanted to hear always came to light. Like the time that Dave was caught in the broom closet with Susan Johnson…

"Pick a code word," Dave said. "If you say it, we leave and never go to a single family event again. Mine is rat pack."

"That's two words," Rori pointed out.

"Just pick a word Rori," Dave grunted.

Rori walked over to her dad and stood across from him. She put her hands on her hips and smiled. "Fine. I play along, but you should know that I have to say my word and you have to say yours if we're both to leave. One person saying it won't be enough. My word is Merlin," she explained. "You're acting like a big baby."

Dave stood up. "You'll see why soon enough."

The two left the hotel room, and headed off on an exciting family adventure.

0o0o0o0

Author's Note: So at the moment, I'm not sure how many chapters Spring Break will take, but I've got a lot planned. If any of you have read my one-shot "Family Bonds" you'll realize that I used the same names for Dave siblings. Yes, they are the same people. So if you haven't checked it out, I suggest that you do to get some basic background, even if I will be giving you some in the next couple of chapters.

Drop me a review letting me know what you think. I know you have an opinion about it all. All you have to do is click the fancy button below… Please!

Ren/Shane


	6. Chapter 6

Author: Ren Kayashima

Genre: Family/ Mystery

Rating: T

Disclaimer: Alas my top secret mission to steal the rights to Criminal Minds failed. At the last minute my repel line broke and I was arrested for trespassing on ABC ground. If you would like to help me with bail money…

_**Shout Outs: As always thank you **__**dyallon**__** for your great reviews. I love chatting it up with you on twitter. I'll let you know what my music score was later today… maybe if I get my test back then most definitely. **__**Natsumi Wakabe**__**, you're review have a tendency to make me chuckle, but getting your calls are even greater. **__**Hxchick, **__**I thought that me and my sis were the only ones that did that! We go by Black Canary and Alice. **__**Kimd33, **__**I've only been to one family reunion and I ended up being a glorified babysitter. That won't be happening again. **__**Booksand music97**__**, I thought you had disappeared on me; it was nice to see your reviews once more. Happy writing on the sequel to **__**Rossi's Girls**__**. I look forward to it. And Finally, A sincere thank you to P95000, who reviews almost everything I put out there. I do apologize for forgetting you earlier. I love seeing all of your reviews. Truly I do.**_

0o0o0o0

"So, let's make sure I've got this straight," Rori began. "You have three siblings: Isabella, Amy, and Joseph. We're spending spring break at Amy's house. She has three kids: Michael, Jessica, and Lucas. All three of them go to UMass, but different campuses throughout the state."

"Yes," Dave nodded as he kept his eyes on the road.

The hotel was a ten minute drive from Amy's house. The father and daughter were in a silver Honda Civic, and both were wishing they had their own cars. They were much more comfortable when they were in their own leather covered seats and their own programed radio stations. There were in a town they didn't live in and they couldn't find a suitable radio station to listen to.

Rori shifted in her seat. "Okay, and Amy's husband is a hot shot lawyer at some big Boston firm. He's the guy you go to when you want to sue the hell out of the man next door for something stupid."

Dave chuckled slightly and hummed a yes.

"Isabella goes by Bella. She married a football player as soon as they both graduated Notre Dame. They both teach at a private school in the Big Apple. Bella has two kids, both boys, but one's a geek and the other one is a jock."

"What are their names?" Dave quizzed. She had to get all of this figured out before they arrived at the house. If she didn't know names she was doomed to walk around asking questions.

Rori closed her eyes and leaned back in the cloth seat of their rental car. "Ummm… They're twins right. Fraternal."

"Yes."

"Joshua and Justin," Rori smiled. "They're twenty-five. The oldest of all my cousins."

"Correct. Now tell me about Joseph."

Rori smiled. "He's the youngest of your siblings; he's four years younger than you. He has Asperger's and never married. He doesn't have any children," Rori explained. "He works as a church pianist and organist at your parent's church."

"Good, you remembered all the important information," Dave said. "Still doesn't change the fact that my family is nuts."

Rori rolled her eyes as she slipped her headphones into her ears. "They're my family now too," she mumbled. She crossed her arms as they pulled into a residential area.

0o0o0o0

"What do you suppose she's like?" Jessica Martin asked her brother.

She was seated on the couch in her parent's living room. It was filled with plush furniture and warm colors.

All three of the Martin siblings had dark brown hair and brown eyes. They ranged in high from five five to six feet even. Jessica was twenty and liked basketball and even played on her college team at University of Massachusetts: Boston while she studied to become a nurse.

"She's Uncle Dave's daughter" her brother Lucas stated as he twirled a soccer ball between his fingers. "She's probably OCD and really serious."

Michael came into the living room. He was the oldest at twenty-one. "Uncle Dave just pulled up," he said.

Jessica pushed herself off the dark brown couch. "He's here before Aunt Bella? That's new."

"Mom!" Lucas shouted. "Uncle Dave just got here."

Mama Rossi came out of the hallway excitedly a moment later. "Is Rori with him?"

Michael shrugged. "There was someone with him."

Lucas looked at his grandmother. "Should we be worried that you're really excited to see her? Have I lost the favorite grandchild spot?"

Mama Rossi smirked playing along. "Well I guess that just means you'll just have to do something really nice for me."

"What did she do for you?" Amy asked coming up behind her mother.

"She changed her name to include Rossi in it, and she got her godfather to restore some of our family Bible. She paid for all of it."

Amy looked at her youngest child. "Luke, I don't think you can beat that, but don't worry," she smiled. "I'm still the favorite child."

Mama Rossi smiled. Her family would be together in full for the first time in years. She moved to the front door and stepped onto the porch. She watched as her oldest son slid out of the driver's seat.

Dave looked at his family and then leaned down and glanced at Rori as she bobbed to the music playing on her iPhone. /"Rori, what the hell are you listening to?" he asked.

Rori looked at him and leaned forward in her seat. She saw the entire family watching her expectantly as they filed out the door and on to the large porch. Amy's house was a two story house that had been painted a dark grey. The porch was covered and had white railings. She watched as Amy's children leaned against the railing on one side.

"I'm listening to the musical score of Beast's transformation in Beauty and the Beast."

Dave shook his head. Everything on her iPhone was either classical, jazz, or Disney. "Time to get out of the car," he stated.

"M'kay," Rori smiled.

Rori got out of the silver rental and walked around the front. She stopped next to her dad and linked her fingers behind her back as she grinned up at him widely. "They don't look crazy."

"They're luring you into a false sense of security."

"Big baby," Rori sang.

Mama Rossi waved happily. "Rori!" she said. She waved at the teen to come over. "Come meet your father's family," she called.

Rori gave a finger wave. "Hold on, I have to grab some things," she said. She placed a hand on her father's shoulder. "Pop the trunk will ya'."

Rori pulled her shoulder bag and violin case out. Dave gazed at her in curiosity. "Why do you have your laptop with you?" he asked. "This is supposed to be where we're both tortured by family."

"Just because it's called Spring Break, doesn't mean I actually get a break. I have an essay to write, scripts to memorize, and insane amounts of math problems to solve. Georgetown is determined to make you work while the sun is out and shining."

"Just do what Reid does. Treat your script like a flip book," Dave said. She was at the genius level. Surely she could memorize a little script.

"My memory doesn't work like Spencer's" Rori said. "Reading music is easy, throw words into the mix and things get a little tricky."

Dave rolled his eyes. He was quickly adopting his daughter's habits. "And the violin?"

"There's something I'm working on, and I want to know what grandpa and grandma think."

Joseph came out of the house biting his thumb. "I don't know if I like this," he said as he looked down at his mother. He may have been the youngest of the Rossi children, but he was the tallest.

Mama Rossi looked at her son and gave his open hand a comforting squeeze. "I know you don't like change, but you and Rori have something in common."

Joseph stopped biting his nail. "Really?" he asked. "What is it?"

Rori came walking up the concrete pathway. "_He's not whole without a sole to wait upon," _she sang as she bobbed her head to the Disney classic. Her open hand was conducting an invisible orchestra. She grinned as the music picked up. "_Course by Course. One by one._"

Jessica looked over her shoulder at her mom. "Is she… special like Uncle Joe?" she whispered.

Amy shook her head. "Rori's a music prodigy. Mom told me that it's pretty normal for her to do that."

"But she waves her hands around like Uncle Joe," Luke stated.

"Luke," Papa Rossi started as he came up behind the grandchildren. "We're Italian. Wild hand movements are a part of the package."

Rori pulled her headphones out as she came up the steps. She draped them over her neck as Dave came up behind her.

"Everyone, I'd like you to meet Rori, my daughter," Dave smiled cordially. "Rori this is at least part of our large family."

Rori directed her attention to Amy. "I like your house. Well, the outside looks really nice. I'll comment on the interior later, but I'm sure it's lovely."

Amy smiled. "Thank you. My husband is still at work, but my name is Amy and these are my kids. Michael, Jessica, and Luke."

"It's a pleasure."

"Rori, this is Joseph," Mama Rossi introduced.

Joseph glanced down at Rori's violin. "First or Second violin?"

"First," Rori answered. "But normally in high school I was playing the piano for the orchestra."

"Who's your favorite composer?"

Rori grinned. "Bach may be the best, but Beethoven's music is my favorite. He bridged the classical and romantic periods of music which happen to be my favorite periods."

Joseph smiled and nodded in approval. "Do you like Chopin?"

"Of course."

Dave and Mama Rossi started to grin as the two musician made their way into the house to discuss the romantic period in depth.

Mama Rossi looked at Dave. "Thank you for coming."

0o0o0o0

Author's Note: Well I've introduce some more family. We'll meet Bella and her family in the next chapter. There's going to be a couple chapters for Spring Break. If only because a lot is going to happen. Then I'll shift into the plot twist. I think this will end up being longer than The Chariot Card, but most likely smaller than The Death Card.

I'm finding that I have less time to write now that I have a job. It used to be that Friday's would be the day to do it, but now I work all day. This is a good thing though. I need money to go to Memphis in June, so it's for a good cause. Anyway, I just thought that I would let you know that it may take longer to get updates out there. Fortunately, this story and one other tend to stay in my mind, so updates happen more often.

Leave a review letting me know what you think. I think that this chapter may have been a little boring, but it also has its humorous and charming moments.

Ja ne.

Shane/Ren


	7. Chapter 7

Author: Ren Kayashima

Genre: Family/ Mystery

Rating: T

Disclaimer: Alas my top secret mission to steal the rights to Criminal Minds failed. At the last minute my repel line broke and I was arrested for trespassing on ABC ground. If you would like to help me with bail money…

_**Shout Outs: All right! A very apologetic Shane will be giving the first shout out to **__**P95000**__**, who unfortunately I forgot about in the last shout out. I went in and fixed it as soon as I was told about it, but I'm very sorry. Thank you for reviewing anyway. Thank you **__**dyallon**__** I love talking with you on twitter and seeing your reviews in my inbox. **__**Hxchick**__**, I swear to you, I have said that on more than one occasion when it came to meeting my family. A friend will think that they're safe only to realize that nothing is sacred. **__**Kimd33,**__** I'm going to Memphis for a wedding. It's going to be a lot of fun. As always **__**Natsumi Wakabe**__**, I love you to death, but you need to stop calling me during class! **_

0o0o0o0

Chapter Seven:

Rori shifted uncomfortably on the couch as her cousins stared at her from across the room. "Is there something in my teeth?" she asked.

"Why are your eyes green?" Jessica asked.

"My mom's eyes were blue, so I don't really know why they're green. They just are."

"But Uncle Dave's eyes are brown," Luke stated.

"Grandma's eyes are blue, so genetically, it's not impossible for me to have lighter colored eyes," Rori explained.

"Well you say you're Uncle Dave's daughter, but how are we sure. Your real dad could have green eyes," Luke said as he eyed her suspiciously.

Rori's eyes widened in shock as she balled her fists. Her cell phone rang, stopping her from lashing out in anger. She saw a pair of Penelope's favorite red pumps on the display screen. She looked at her three cousins and grabbed her headphones from her shoulder bag. She answered the phone as she stood up. "Hold on Pen. Let me put my headphones in."

"Okay," Pen chirped.

"Dad, I'm going for a walk!" she yelled.

As the door slammed shut, Rori turned her attention to her phone call. "Hey Pen."

"Hey Chica. What's going on with the familia?"

"My cousin's just insinuated that my mother cheated on my dad with some unknown man simply because my eyes are green."

"Did you tell them that you had a DNA test done to prove paternity?"

"You called as I was about to scream at them."

"Even if you didn't have a DNA test done, you're too much like you father to deny any biological relation."

Rori stopped walking. "What?"

"Did you know your dad color codes his notes the same way you write certain things in a different language?" Garcia asked.

"He does?"

"Well, not so much now, but when he was first put on this team he did."

Rori shrugged and continued to walk briskly. "Is it so hard to believe that my dad has a kid?"

"I think it's hard to believe that your mother took her biggest secret to the grave. I mean having a kid is a big deal. At least I think it would be," Garcia explained.

"Are you going to have children?" Rori asked.

"I think that eventually I'll have them," Garcia said. "You have to find the right partner if you want to raise a child."

"What about Kevin?" Rori asked. "You've been dating him for three years."

There was silence on the line. "I've got to go. Someone's on the other line. Could be a case. Bye!" Garcia said before the line went dead.

Rori sat on the edge of the sidewalk and messed with her phone as she listened to the _Tangled_ soundtrack. Papa Rossi came strolling down the street casually. He sat down next to the young college student. He waited for her to pause her loud music and remove the white headphones that hung from her ears.

"Did you know that I never once met Christine's parents?" he asked her as he watched her face.

"Mom said that her dad was a mean drunk, and that her mother was afraid to get a divorce because she didn't know how to support herself," Rori said as she looked out at the empty street. "It's not uncommon in abusive household. It's takes a woman an average of seven times to successfully leave someone. You and grandma are the only set of grandparents I know."

Papa Rossi smiled. "I'm sorry we came so late in life."

Rori hugged her knees. "Is it really so awful that my mom kept me a secret. I'm here now; I'm trying to be a part of the family. They think I'm lying?"

"You know what the truth is," Papa Rossi said. "Ignore your cousins if they say stuff like that. Just calmly point out that a DNA test says they're wrong."

Rori laughed lightly and looked at Papa Rossi's smiling face.

"Shall we go back inside?"

"Do you think Joseph would like to help me with musical piece I'm working on? I think I've finished it, but I need to know how it sounds together."

"A duet?" Papa Rossi asked sounding amused.

Rori nodded. "Dad said that he doesn't have to looked at a musical score long in order to play it. Aunt Amy had an upright piano in the living room."

"Why don't you ask him? I'm sure he'd love to learn a new piece."

Rori stood up and helped her grandfather to his feet.

0o0o0o0

Dave was helping his mother with dinner when he heard the piano being played in the next room. He stopped cutting the potatoes to listen. This wasn't a song he had heard before. Growing up with a piano prodigy and later living with Rori's musical crew, he had heard almost every single musical piece possible. His eyes widened when he heard Rori's violin join in.

Rossi left the kitchen to find his brother seated at the piano as he played a quick upbeat song. Rori was playing a matching harmony line on the highest range of her violin. The song was fun and light. He walked over to his brother and saw that Rori had names the song 'Family Circus'.

Amy and Mama Rossi stood at the edge of the kitchen as Papa Rossi let some guests into the house. There were four in total.

Amy's kids greeted the new comers before they watched Rori and Joseph simple playful performance. There were two adults Dave's age.

Dave walked over to the people that just arrived and smiled. "Bella, Asher," he smiled. "It's good to see you."

Bella smiled and gave her older brother a hug. "Glad you can make it to a family event for once."

Dave turned to his oldest nephews. "Josh and Justine finally stopped growing."

The twin boys smiled. One wore a Seattle Seahawks jersey while the other was in a casual black button-up t-shirt and black jeans. Bass headphones were hanging around his neck. They raised their hands in a wave and smiled identically. The guy wearing the headphones looked at Rori curiously.

Bella stood next to her older brother and watched the two musicians. "I take it that's your daughter?" she asked.

"Yes," Dave smiled.

"She's pretty good," Bella said. "I have to wonder though, why you keep her away from the rest of the family for Christmas."

"She'd only been living with me six months, I still didn't know a lot about her. There's been a lot going on in our lives. It's hard to be together as is because I'm traveling to cases and she's either at school or working in New York."

"Well now you have to share this wonderful talent with us for an entire week," Bella smiled.

Rori and Joseph's songs came to a close and Rori turned around happily to face her dad. She lowered her violin and smiled. "Well?"

"It sounds like you have another hit for you to perform at the end of the year in New York," Dave smiled.

Rori and Kaoru were going to have their collaboration pieces presented at a Julliard concert in Central Park, and there would be some pieces that only Rori had made, and some that Kaoru had made. It was one of the things about Rori that made Dave beam with pride. His daughter had music that was performed at a world class school.

Rori's grin grew as she bounced in joy. She ran over and hugged her dad. "I'm so glad you liked it."

Dave hugged her tightly and smiled. "You have yet to make something I don't like. _Daddy David_ is my favorite."

Rori laughed into his chest and looked at the twins. "Which one is Josh and which one is Justin?" she asked.

The jock smiled and held his hand out. "I'm Josh," he said. He held out his hand. "It's nice to meet the youngest of my cousins."

Justin looked at Rori and tilted his head over. "Natsuko?" he asked.

Rori looked at him and raised an eyebrow. "What?"

0o0o0o0

Author's Note: Well here's the next part. I left it off on a place that would keep you guessing. I like it like that. I know this chapter was short, but it was pretty cool. At least to me it is. Gahhhhhh! I would have posted this story a lot sooner, but unfortunately fanfiction was being a pain in the a** when it came to logging on. So sorry you guys.

Drop me a review. I love hearing from you guys and I want to know what you think about this.

Shane/Ren


	8. Chapter 8

Author: Ren Kayashima

Genre: Family/ Mystery

Rating: T

Disclaimer: Alas my top secret mission to steal the rights to Criminal Minds failed. At the last minute my repel line broke and I was arrested for trespassing on ABC ground. If you would like to help me with bail money…

Note: The last chapter ended with Rori's anime voice being called Haruko, which was a boo boo on my part. The character's name is Natsuko. So I went in and changed it.

_**Shout Outs: Thank you **__**dyallon**__**, **__**kimd33,**__** and **__**hxchick**__** for reviewing. Even with the system being funky. I loved reading all of your reviews. I hope you enjoy this little tid bit.**_

0o0o0o0

Chapter Eight:

Rori and Justine stood looking at each other. Justin blinked and shook his head. "I'm sorry, we've met before, however briefly," he said as he scratched his head. He adjusted the strap on his shoulder bag.

"Oh where at?" Rori asked.

"SakuraCon," Justin mumbled embarrassed that at twenty-five he still went to anime conventions.

Recognition shone in Rori's eyes. "You asked me to sing happy birthday to your girlfriend because she was stuck waiting in line and couldn't make it to the meet and greet."

Justin nodded. "I kept forgetting your name so I just called you 'The Voice of Natsuko'."

Rori smiled. "No worries, although it would probably be a good idea to get my real name straight now that we're family," she smiled as she moved over to her violin case.

Justin laughed nervously as she started to put her violin away. He ran his hand through his hair and sighed.

"I'm confused," Luke said raising his hand like a child in school.

Dave looked at his youngest nephew. "Rori's the English and Japanese voice to a character on an animated series."

Justin reached into his bag and pulled out a DVD set. "The main antagonist is a serial killer, so I brought this to show Uncle Dave." He held the case close to his chest.

Rori grinned. "You have the autographed copy."

Justin shuffled on the balls of his feet. "My girlfriend gave it to me." His twin wrapped an arm around Justin's neck and smiled.

Jessica crossed her arms and stuck her hip out. "Further explanation is needed."

Rori held out her hands for Justin's DVD set. He handed it over and Rori turned to face Amy's children. "This cute anime character has my voice in English and Japanese adaptations," she said pointing to her character.

Mama Rossi decided to butt into the growing tension. "Dinner will be ready in ten minutes. Who's going to set the table today?"

"Can we all fit?" Luke laughed.

Josh smiled and left his brothers side. "I'll set the table with Jessie," he said.

Rori turned to Justin. "So you live in King County, Washington," she started.

Justin nodded. "Both Josh and I do. I work at Boeing and he works at Microsoft."

"Kick ass," Rori smiled. "I'm more of a Mac, but I own two PC's. A desktop and a netbook."

"Cool," Justin said. "Are you going to be the voice of anyone else now that _Dark Truths_ is finished?"

The two of them sat down on the couch and Rori handed him his DVD set. "Well it's only ended in Japan, so right now I'm finishing the English parts. The series is popular so I'll be going to conventions all over to do the whole meet and greet thing. I don't mind, I get paid to do them. I'm signed up to be a voice in a movie, and as always, I'll be the damsel in distress."

"That kind of sucks," Justin smiled. "I like your English catchphrase."

"Dude what the hell?" she asked.

Her cousin nodded and smiled. The two continued to talk animatedly.

0o0o0o0

"And then Principal Wiggins opened the broom closet door just as Susan let out the loudest scream ever," Bella laughed.

"Dad you dog!" Rori exclaimed. "Why the hell would you have sex in a broom closet?"

"It's because his car was in the shop," Amy said.

"You know most people get freaked out when they hear about their parents past sexual exploits," Luke said. He shivered slightly.

"Oh it creeps me out beyond belief, but I torture him with thoughts of me and Kenta having sex. I think I can maintain my cool."

"But you and Kenta aren't having sex right?" Dave asked.

Rori closed her eyes and grinned. "Of course not!"

Dave shoved a meatball into his mouth and began to grumble. With all the jokes she was making about her and Kenta having sex, he was starting to wonder if it was true.

"But if Kenta and I were having sex, you wouldn't know about it," Rori stated.

Papa Rossi choked on his wine as he laughed at his oldest son's wide eyes and pale face. Rori smile and took a bite of garlic bread as the rest of the table started to laugh.

"Haha, you're a comic genius," Dave stated dully. "How about I tell everyone about your tendency to trip over your own feet."

"It's the invisible elves I say," Rori retorted. "They're tricky little bastards and they have it out for me."

Michael leaned over to Luke. "What was that about being serious like Uncle Dave?"

Luke grumbled and brooded over his plate. Everyone was being nice to her, when in truth, they knew nothing about her. She had stolen his spotlight and he didn't like it one bit. Everyone laughed at his jokes and his statements.

0o0o0o0

Rori sat on her dad's bed. They had just gotten back from Amy's house. She was looking at an article on her computer. Her dad came out of his bathroom. "Find anything interesting?"

"Long Island has a serial killer in their midst," Rori answered. "Authorities think that it's someone who works in law enforcement, or is at least familiar with law enforcement procedure."

"That can mean a lot of things, and most serial killers are familiar with law enforcement procedure," Dave said. "Aside from a small number, most serial killers are pretty smart."

"I've read your books dad. I know this already," Rori said as she was typing away on her laptop.

"What's he doing?' Dave asked sitting down next to her. He looked over to find her typing up a brief transcript of part of the dinner conversation. "Why do you post random conversations on Facebook?"

"Because I find them interesting," Rori answered. "There are eight bodies, possibly ten. Four of them are known prostitutes who posted on Craigslist. He's wrapping them in burlap bags."

Dave started to mentally profile when he had to remind himself that he was on vacation with his daughter.

"Turn it off," Dave said.

Rori looked at him confused. "What? Why?"

"Look at the two of us. We're on a family vacation and somehow serial killers have made it into two of our conversations. Put the computer away."

Rori closed her laptop. "I don't think Luke like me all that much."

"He barely knows you. Give it some time," Dave said. "He's not very trusting. He doesn't like new people."

"He stated that mom cheated on you and that's why I have green eyes," Rori stated as she picked at her nails. She had a contemplative look in her eyes. She knew her mom and it really bothered her that people were accusing her of infidelity.

"The DNA test says he's wrong," Dave said as she settled onto his side of the bed. Luke was always the one that tried to find the flaws in other people. It was annoying, but at least he was honest. "Do you want to watch a movie?"

Rori looked at their flat screen TV. "Sure, if we can find something interesting."

An hour later Dave looked over to see his daughter curled up on the edge of the bed. She had fallen asleep during _Romancing the Stone_, which was surprising because the movie was one of her favorites.

Dave moved her laptop to the nightstand and pulled the covers over her. He smiled and brushed her bangs out of her face. This was what family was like, and he liked it. He liked it a lot. He moved into the bathroom to get ready for bed as she buried her face in one of the white pillows.

0o0o0o0

Author's Note: Well here you go, the next chapter. I just got a great idea as I was finishing this chapter off. I can't wait to start on it, but first I've got to get through Spring Break. This is going to be a lot of fun.

Anyway, drop a review letting me know what you think. I love to hear from you guys. It's a lot of fun to see your responses to the chapters.

Ja ne.

Shane


	9. Chapter 9

Author: Ren Kayashima

Genre: Family/ Mystery

Rating: T

Disclaimer: Alas my top secret mission to steal the rights to Criminal Minds failed. At the last minute my repel line broke and I was arrested for trespassing on ABC ground. If you would like to help me with bail money…

_**Shout Outs: **__**Natsumi Wakabe, **__**you've done it once again. You made me smile with your review. Stop! You'll get me kicked out of class. You'll enjoy a part of this chapter. **__**Dyallon, **__**as always I love seeing you review. You make me want to write more. **__**Booksandmusic97**__**, I assure you, Rori was thoroughly creeped out as she heard about her father's sex life, but she threw it right back. **__**P95000, **__**Thank you for your review, I love how you tell me about what you like. It's nice to see specifics. **__**Kimd33**__**, I will say this, Luke won't win any points in this chapter…**_

_**Enjoy!**_

0o0o0o0

Chapter Nine:

Rori was on the phone with Morgan. "I hope the pups haven't been too much trouble," she said as she sat on her hotel bed. She was in a simple grey t-shirt and jeans.

"Nah, they love playing with Clooney. They eat a lot though," Morgan answered.

Rori laughed. "That's my girls. They love their food," she said. "I hope Hotch is okay with Mudgie."

"He brings Mudgie to the office with Jack. They hang out in Penelope's office."

"Oh cool."

"How the family vacation going?" Derek asked.

"I'm starting to see why dad avoids them," Rori stated dully. "I'm fairly certain that my cousin Luke hates me. In fact I wouldn't be surprised if he's already made a voodoo doll of me."

"Is he the only one?"

"The verdict is still out on his siblings. Bella's kids are cool. They both work in the Seattle area. I like talking to them."

"That sounds okay."

"I just want to relax, but I can't because Luke's always jumping down my throat and questioning the truth of every single thing that I say. It's frustrating," Rori sighed.

"Don't you know, family event are never relaxing," Morgan laughed. "You'll always hate that one family member, but in the end, you're glad they're there to have your back."

"No, I don't know this Derek," Rori stated. "I've never gone to a family event. I've had Kate visit before, and then grandma and grandpa came for Christmas, but I've never gone to a family reunion or anything like this."

There was a pause on the line as Morgan processed what she had just said. "Really?"

"Yes. I thought that this would be fun because I'd never had it as a child, but I think I bit off more than I can chew," Rori said as she tucked her feet under her legs.

"Why not tell your dad this?" Derek asked. "I'm sure he would understand if you wanted to come home early."

"I can't do that!" Rori exclaimed. "I forced him to come because I wanted to meet the family. What kind of person would I be if I went crying uncle to dear old daddy all because of my mean cousin?"

Morgan sighed. "You're screwed."

Rori rolled her eyes. "Thank you Captain Obvious," she retorted sarcastically.

"What do you want me to say?" Morgan asked. "You're the one in the position to change all of this. Actually, there are many options for you to take."

Rori sighed in defeat. "Since when did you become the kick in the ass that I needed?" she asked.

"Since you moved in with your father," Morgan answered. Rori could tell that he was smiling. "Whatever you do, don't punch him. Understand?"

"Even if I want to really really bad?" Rori asked as she pushed her cheek out with her tongue.

"You don't need an assault charge on your record. Especially now that you're an adult."

"Damn."

Morgan laughed. "I'm going to let you go. Be nice to your cousin."

"No promises," Rori chanted her catch phrase.

"Well as long as I don't keep my expectations high neither of us will be disappointed."

Rori giggled. "Bye Derek."

"Bye Rori."

0o0o0o0

"Take it back!" Rori yelled angrily.

"Make me!" Luke shouted back.

The two of them were standing in Amy's backyard. Bother of them were glaring at each other. Jessica, Michael, and the twins were watching warily from the side. A simple conversation about California had shifted into a full on two person feud.

Rori picked up a tennis ball by her foot and held it up to throw at Luke. "Take it back!" she threatened.

Luke smirked. "Like you could hurt me with that," he scoffed.

"You never even knew my mom, now take it back!" Rori repeated darkly.

Dave and Amy came out of the kitchen. Dave walked quickly over to his daughter and forced the tennis ball out of her hands.

"What's going on?" Amy asked shifting into her 'mom' tone.

This was the last family gathering and the tension between Luke and Rori had been building the entire week. First there was the family baseball game where they got into an argument over the best baseball team. Then the team scavenger hunt where they both arrived at the statue of Paul Revere at the same time, but only one could claim the clue. Yesterday was the video game competition that ended in the annihilation of an expensive vase. Why Bella set up these elaborate 'family activities' was beyond any member of the Rossi family. But on the Brightside, no one had gone to the hospital… yet.

"Luke called Rori's mom a manipulative bitch with no concept of family," Josh sighed.

Dave looked at Rori and saw that she had started to cry. "Merlin," she whispered. "I want to go home."

"Oh so no you're going to cry and gain everyone's sympathy," Luke stated. "You're a real class act. That's for sure."

"Luke!" Amy scolded.

"Is anyone else bothered by the fact that Uncle Dave's ex kept his daughter a secret and now he's expected to take care of her? Who dumps that on a person?"

"My mom did what she thought was best for me!" Rori argued as Dave pulled her back.

"Well aren't you little Miss. Perfect. You've got FBI daddy to keep you from doing something incredibly stupid."

"Prefect?" Rori asked as she wiped her eyes. "You don't get it. I envy you and your family," she said.

"I grew up never knowing who my dad was. Every year I watched as my friends would go out with _both_ of their parents while I only did stuff with my mom. I didn't spend weekends at grandma and grandpa's like you did. I will never get the chance to sit down for dinner with both my parents present because my mom is dead. I envy the fact that you got to do things that I never had the chance to do as a child. You have two parents who you see whenever you want. I've only ever had one in my life."

Rori pushed her way back into the house as Luke stared at her. Dave shook his head. He walked up to Amy. "I'm going to take Rori back to the hotel. I don't think we'll be back for dinner. Sorry."

Amy nodded. "Dave, keep in touch. I know you fly out early tomorrow," she said. "I'll talk to Luke."

"Don't worry about it. Rori's always been touchy when it comes to her mom," Dave said. "Especially after she found out that Christine had been murdered."

Amy's eyes widened. "What?"

Dave had only told his mom and dad, but he assumed that they would tell the rest. "Rori and her mother were kidnapped by a pair of UnSubs while they were on vacation in Scotland. Rori got away, but Christine didn't."

"Dave, we didn't know," Amy stated as if it explained Luke's rude demeanor.

"We don't talk about it much," Dave frowned. He headed into the house. "I'll call you later."

0o0o0o0

Rori sat in her hotel room as she was typing up a new article for the school paper about the case in Louisiana. Her phone rang and she looked at the display. _Unknown_ shone on the screen. She tilted her head to the side curiously. Nobody ever called from a blocked number.

There was a knock on her door and she sighed. "Dad, really I'm fine," she said. "I shouldn't have let Luke get to me."

She opened the door to find Luke standing there. She crossed her arms. "What do you want?" she asked accusing him of having evil intentions.

Luke looked at her. "Is it true that your mom was killed by a serial killer like Uncle Dave said?"

"Their names were Patrick and Collin MacGregor. They would kidnap mother and daughter pairs and kill them after a week of torture," Rori explained. "Do you want to come in?"

Even if she wanted him to leave and never come back, she couldn't be rude. That would be stooping down to his level. She moved back to her bed and sat down as Luke looked around the luxury hotel room.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize if you don't mean it," Rori stated. She saved her document and closed her computer. She looked at him expectantly.

"What was your mom like?" Luke asked. "Everyone said she was the nicest of his ex's."

Rori rolled her eyes. Apparently her dad was doing her a favor by never talking about his ex-wives around her. They were pretty nasty divorces. "She was really cool when she had the time to spend with me," Rori answered. "She worked hard and she was a great litigation lawyer. She liked to go to the beach with me on the weekends. We would shop and eat out together a lot. We baked together after long days."

"Do you like living with Uncle Dave more than you liked living with your mom?"

Rori stared at him blankly and blinked. "I can't answer that."

"Why not?"

"Because they're my parents. I didn't switch houses like they were divorced. My mom died and my aunt couldn't take me with her to Italy. Dad runs his house a certain way, and mom ran her house a different way. Also I grew up with my mom, I was almost an adult with I moved in with my dad. So I can't really compare them."

Luke nodded. He could understand that. "Do you have a facebook?"

Rori smirked. "So you don't hate me now?"

"Baby steps. I find your peppy attitude irritating, but I guess I can deal with it."

"And you're a prick, but small steps work for me too."

0o0o0o0

Author's Note: Well I cranked this out far faster than I expected. See folks this is what happens when you know what's going on in math class. You can blank out and write! I feel bad for those poor suckers who are completely lost… Anywho, I liked this chapter. Even if it was mostly with the OC's. I didn't want to drag the Spring Break on much longer. Mostly because I had no ideas what so ever…

I'll be shifting into the major plot arc within the next couple of chapters, and I'm really excited! I can't wait to see what you guys think. It's going to be a lot of fun. I mean let's think about this, Rori's the daughter of a famous FBI agent, she can't have a normal life right? That would be too easy. Plus a little drama always brings Dave and Rori closer than they were before.

I'm going to tell you guys about it again because I only have one person who reads this story that follows me. I have a twitter account where I post updates, fun facts, and even talk to my readers. Its fun and I even drop little Easter eggs about my stories every once in a while. The link is in my profile, so if you have an account, you should follow me… so yeah. Onward!

Review time. Please! I want to know what's going on your in your busy little minds. Just click the button below and be honest!

Shane


	10. Chapter 10

Author: Ren Kayashima

Genre: Family/ Mystery

Rating: T

Disclaimer: Alas my top secret mission to steal the rights to Criminal Minds failed. At the last minute my repel line broke and I was arrested for trespassing on ABC ground. If you would like to help me with bail money…

_**Shout Outs: **__**Dyallon,**__** you always manage to make me smile. Thank you, I like talking with you on Twitter too. **_

_**Natsumi Wakabe**__**, who said I'm going to the funny farm… you tricky little devil. Are you planning something evil again? **_

_**Kimd33: **__**I agree Luke is still a jerk, unfortunately I was running low on characters in the jack a** portion of the story. So he was unlucky in that aspect. **_

_**Hxchick: **__** I was going to have Rori punch him, but I decided that wouldn't be such a good idea. It turns out punching people is assault and actually quite painful if it isn't done right. As to the plot arc… not long now. **_

_**P95000:**__** I kind of like the idea of Mudgie hanging out with Jack too. I'm going to have to work on writing some more scenes with the little Hotchner. **_

_**Booksandmusic97:**__** No, you can't kill Luke off. That's murder and then you can't update **__**Maybe a Little Dysfunctional**__**, and that would be very very bad. I need to know what happens!**_

0o0o0o0

Chapter Ten:

Hotch pulled his SUV to a stop in front of Dave's house. He looked in the back seat to find Rori reading a Dr. Seuss book with Jack.

"All right we're here," he told Jack.

Dave smiled. It was good to be home. He wanted to sleep in his own bed and spend some time alone with Rori. She'd been quiet on the plane ride. Stuck in her own thoughts as she listened to music and read _The Count of Monte Cristo_ for her Lit course.

Rori unbuckled Jack from his seat. "Come one Jack, let's race our dad's to the door!" she said excitedly.

"Okay," Jack answered nodding his head rapidly.

Rori grabbed her messenger bag and slung it over her shoulder before helping Jack out of the SUV. She smiled and held the child's hand carefully. They hopped on the stepping stones that created a small walkway through the grass. "Remember you can't touch the grass or we'll get eaten by the swamp monster!" Rori told the preschooler.

Jack hopped from stone to stone and any time he would start to lose his balance, Rori would correct it quickly by pulling him back onto both feet.

Hotch and Dave stood and watched the two BAU children. The moved to the back and opened the trunk. All three of the Rossi dogs jumped out and ran up to the door, allowing Dave and Hotch to grab the two suitcases. "She's always smiling when she's around Jack," Dave said as he pulled Rori's extra-large suitcase out and set it on the ground. He wondered what exactly she had packed in the luggage seeing as a weeks-worth of clothes fit in his much smaller suitcase.

"She's my favorite babysitter," Hotch smiled.

"Only because she does it for free," Dave said rolling his eyes.

"She won't let me pay her. She told me that I have I could pay her by buying Jack something that he wants," Hotch explained. "Morgan said that she was having problems with one of her cousins?"

Dave watched as Rori bent over and picked something off of the front porch. "Luke doesn't like it when he's not the star of the show. This was Rori's first family reunion of sorts, so my family was focus on trying to learn more about her."

Hotch nodded. Change wasn't always welcome, but it was something that inevitably occurred. So people were bound to be uncomfortable when it did happen.

The two of them entered the house and heard Rori and Jack laughing in the kitchen. The two agents left the suitcases by the stairs and walked back to meet their children.

Rori had lifted Jack onto the island and he watched her as she arranged some pink daisies in a vase.

"Daddy, Kenta got Rori some flowers and left them at the door," Jack said.

"That was nice of him," Hotch smiled. He walked over and lifted Jack into his arms. "Hey buddy, I know that you want to play Mario, but we need to let Rori and her dad get settled back into their house. Maybe Rori can come over and watch you tomorrow night for a little bit and then you can play Mario. Okay?"

Jack wrapped his arms around Hotch's neck. "Okay."

Hotch looked at Rori. "What do you say?"

"I'll be there at seven," Rori smiled.

Dave looked at his friend and coworker. "Thank you Aaron."

"See you at work," Hotch said as he turned to leave. Jack waved to the two Rossi's and Rori gave him a little finger wave.

Dave signed. Tomorrow he would have to move back into the world of blood and gore. Rori was lucky, she had school and the work she did was fun and entertaining. He walked Aaron to the door.

It wasn't that Dave didn't like his job. He loved it. He caught the worst of the worst, and every time he did, there was one less serial killer, kidnapper, or child molester on the streets. That was what made the job worthwhile.

Rori moved to the living room and fell face first into the couch. She hugged a pillow and moaned in delight. "Oh I missed you so much."

Dave laughed as he fell into his own chair. He let out a content sigh as his muscles relaxed into the curves of the chair. "Sometimes I think that you need a vacation after you've just had one."

Rori laughed and turned onto her back. "I have school tomorrow," she sighed.

"Yep, but you like school," Dave said.

"That's true," Rori hummed. She sat up and reached for her toes. Her back gave off a couple of pops as the joints moved. "School is cool. You learn stuff."

"Stuff. What a fitting description," Dave said. "I'm so happy that you're being challenge to change your vague vocabulary."

"Oh yes, it's such a challenge," Rori stated with a dramatic flair. "I simply must stop using words like 'stuff' and 'things' so that my collegiate career will be far more impressive to the great David Rossi of the FBI. After all he's a published author."

"Smart ass," Dave smiled.

"Pretty too," Rori grinned.

Dave shook his head. He enjoyed the light hearted playful conversations the two of them shared. He could always count on Rori to make him smile after a long day of consulting on case files, and when he got back from a case, there was always a fresh dinner and a stimulating conversation waiting for him.

Mudgie came walking in with Zen and Chou. Dave bent over and scratched Mudgie. "Did you have fun with Jack?" he asked.

Mudgie wagged his tail as the younger dogs jumped on Rori to greet her properly. She let out oomph and started to laugh. "You guys are too big to be jumping on me," she grunted out. "I love you too." She pushed them off of her and patted the two dogs on the head.

That night Dave poured himself a glass of water and looked over at the flowers that Rori had gotten. Pink daisies were he second favorite. Peach gladiolus took the spot of favorite. She told Dave that they reminded her of her mother. Interestingly enough peach gladioli were the flower that Dave and Christine had at their wedding. He looked at the simple white card that had come with the arrangement.

_Welcome back. I can't wait to see you._

He started to think about Rori and Kenta's relationship. As much as she joked about the two of them having sex, they weren't. He knew that was true, and it made him happy. There were many times where Rori was too exhausted, and she came home dead on her feet because of school. Their dates consisted of Harry Potter and Pirates of the Caribbean movie marathons, and half the time they were both asleep before the first movie was over.

Dave finished his glass and headed up the stairs. He found Rori's door open and glanced in. She had passed out on her bed. Zen and Chou had taken up residence on the left side of the mattress, while Mudgie was curled up on the floor next to Rori's side. Rori's arm hung over the side and her fingertips just barely grazed Mudgie's brown fur.

Dave walked in and covered Rori with her blanket before turning off the light. He left her door ajar so that the dogs could get out if they needed to.

As he entered his own room with his own bed he let a small smile graze his lips. It was good to be home.

0o0o0o0

The next day Rori was walking out to her car when she saw something on the hood of the silver mustang. She walked over and found a stuffed dog sitting on a decorative fairy notebook. She picked up the unsigned card and smiled.

_Have fun in class. I'll be thinking about you._

She grabbed the two items and slid into the driver's seat of her precious car. She set the gifts on the passenger seat and dropped her back pack on the floor in the back seat.

As she was driving through D.C she was thinking about Kenta. While stopped at a light she glanced at the stuffed dog and its black button eyes.

The light turned green and she pulled out into the intersection just as another car blew through their red light and t-boned the side of her car. The silver mustang spun slightly and the car in the next lane hit the back of the car before they could stop. Rori's car came to a stop in the middle of the intersection and horns started blaring all around at the chaos.

0o0o0o0

Author's Note: Well that was fun. Rori's poor Mustang… in the last story it was misplaced by the Secret Service and now she's been t-boned. I guess you'll just have to wait for the next chapter to see what happens won't you.

I'm trying to set things up in the next couple of chapters for my plot arc. It's going to be a lot of fun. It's different than the other two incidents… So you'll just have to wait until the ball starts to roll on this plot arc. I've kind of sort of started it out, so it won't be long now.

Now I call on you to review this wonderful piece of literary genius (Shush, I know I'm not Shakespeare). The reviews from this last chapter were brilliant. Thank you all.

Shane


	11. Chapter 11

Author: Ren Kayashima

Genre: Family/ Mystery

Rating: T

Disclaimer: Alas my top secret mission to steal the rights to Criminal Minds failed. At the last minute my repel line broke and I was arrested for trespassing on ABC ground. If you would like to help me with bail money…

_**Shout Outs:**__** dyallon**__**: I updated as fast as I could just for you! Your tweet made me smile.**_

_**Kimd33:**__** Yeah… her day is about to get a whole lot worse.**_

_**Natsumi Wakabe**__**: You'll never catch me alive! I will never be taken to such an evil place. My evil Plans for Rori are slowly taking shape as you soon shall see.**_

_**P95000**__**: Rori and Jack ARE soo cute together. I'll have to write more scenes with them. I like writing Rori and Dave's interactions. They're fun and humorous. **_

0o0o0o0

Chapter Eleven:

Dave was sitting in his office at the BAU quietly working on yet another report. The paperwork involved with being an agent was enough to make a man retire after a couple years.

His cell phone rang and played a classic version of 'My Funny Valentine' to let him know that it was Rori calling him. Both of them had a deep appreciation for the Rat Pack, so Rori assigned the ringtone to herself to let him know when she was calling.

"Yes Rori," he answered like he always did. He had to appear like her was busy enough to barely take Rori's call. When in truth, her phone calls were always the highlight of his day. She offered an interesting fact and then told him about whatever crazy stunt that had happened on campus. He was slightly confused because she would only call at around noon.

"Hello, ?" a male voice asked.

Dave sat forward in his seat with worry. "Who is this?"

"My name is Scott Boyle. I'm a paramedic."

"Don't tell him that!" Rori shrieked on the other line. "You'll just worry him more. Give me my phone back!"

Dave listened to the paramedic as he talked to Rori. "Miss. Rossi, I need you to lie back down. It's possible that you have a concussion."

"What the hell happened?" Dave barked into the phone.

"Mr. Rossi, your daughter was in a car accident while on her way to class. We're taking her to the hospital to get some test done."

"Dad, I swear it wasn't my fault. That prick blew through a red light as I was crossing the intersection," Rori stated.

"Miss. Rossi please lay back down," the paramedic stated tiredly.

"She sounds okay. Are you sure that you need to take her to the hospital?" Dave asked as he started to pack up his things.

"Your daughter was unconscious when we arrived on the scene."

"It was like five seconds. I passed your stupid cognition test. Just let me go so I can go to me Lit course."

"What hospital are you taking her too?" Dave asked as he left the confines of his office with his phone propped up on a shoulder and half his arm hanging out of his jacket. "Should I bring anything with me?"

"Your daughter told me that she has all of her insurance information on her."

"Thank you." Dave hung up as he hopped down the small set of stairs.

Morgan, Seaver, and Reid looked at him. "What's going on?" Ashley asked.

"Rori was in a car accident," Dave stopped momentarily.

Morgan looked at the senior agent in shock. "What!" he nearly shouted. "Is she okay?"

Hotch was drawn from his office.

"She was arguing with the paramedic when he called me, but when they arrived on the scene, Rori wasn't conscious."

Garcia came out of her office with her usual bubbly demeanor, but stopped when she saw Rossi's somber look. "What's going on?"

"Rori was in a car accident," Reid explained. "Rossi's going to the hospital to go get her."

Garcia's face fell. "What?" she asked quietly. She looked at Rossi. "Is my little profiler in training okay?"

Dave sighed. He was getting tired of all of the questions. "She's awake and arguing with the paramedics," Seaver answered.

"I'm going with you!" Garcia said quickly.

Hotch watched silently from his doorway. As the team leader, he probably should have told Garcia to stay behind. However, he knew all too well that you should never stop Penelope Garcia from doing something, especially if Jack, Henry, and Rori were involved. Rossi nodded to Hotch before leaving the BAU with Penelope shuffling behind.

0o0o0o0

Rori sat on a hospital bed typing on her laptop quickly as she emailed her homework assignment to her lit professor. She missed his class and she was not a happy college student.

She looked up when her dad and Garcia came into the small curtained off area. "Get me out of here now!" she growled.

Her father shook his head as he stared at the bandaged cut on her forehead. Her bangs his most of the cut from view, but he could tell that it was pretty big. "What happened?" Dave asked.

"My light was green. His wasn't. He blew through the light and now my car is a complete mess and I have a concussion," Rori summarized. "Can we go now? My math class starts in thirty minutes and it's a twenty minute drive to campus."

"Rori, you're not going to school today," Dave sighed. He sensed an argument and he really didn't want to deal with it.

"Like hell I'm not!" Rori stated. "It's the first day after Spring Break. I have to go to class."

"No, the only place you're going to is Garcia's lair at the academy. Your twenty-four hour supervision begins now," Dave explained.

"It's just a bump to the head," Rori brushed her injury off as if it was an everyday occurrence. "I'll be fine."

"Rori, you aren't allowed to argue with me on this one," Rossi said. "You have a concussion. I don't feel comfortable letting you walk around campus."

"A bump to the head is nothing to be worried about," Rori stated calmly.

"Rori, people die of concussions," Penelope defended. "We'll email your professors and find out what they covered in today's class. Reid likes to help you with math, so it's not like you've really missed a day's worth of lessons. We can ask Kenta can collect some things from your Profs. Okay?"

Rori closed her laptop and slid off the bed. She grabbed her backpack full of books, and Kenta's gifts. "Fine," she grumbled. "If I fail, I blame you both."

"It's just one day," Dave rolled his eyes. "You're not going to fail."

Rori snorted. "Says you."

Dave smiled. Despite a concussion, Rori was her normal self. She was still responding with sarcasm and she had coherent thoughts. She looked at him with a contemplative frown.

"I have to get a new car,' she stated. "My Mustangs right side was completely totaled. The engine was smooshed." She bit the inside of her cheek as she thought. "Maybe a black one this time?"

"Can we just worry about one thing at a time please," Dave sighed. A car was yet another thing he would have to buy before the insurance money came…

0o0o0o0

Rori sat next to Garcia with her stocking feet propped up on the edge of the des. The stuffed dog stat in front of a dark monitor as the techie and college student disappeared into their own respective worlds of source code and binary.

There was a knock on the door and Rori looked up to find Kenta standing in the doorway. He held up a bag of frozen peas jokingly. "Need something for the pain?"

Rori smirked. "You'll do."

Kenta walked in as Rori stood up. She smiled and hugged him tightly. She gave him a peck on the lips and smiled. "It's been a while since I've seen you," she said.

"Yeah, Kaoru and I missed you while you were in Boston," Kenta stated.

"So I saw, but why did you get me pink daisies?" Rori asked. "You've always gotten me gladioli."

Kenta looked at her strangely. "What are you talking about?"

Rori stared at him and backed up. "Kenta, I don't like it when you play dumb."

Kenta looked at Penelope who eyed him suspiciously. "Rori, I don't know what you're talking about."

Rori crossed her arms. "So you didn't leave daisies at my door yesterday, and the stuffed dog and notebook on my car this morning weren't from you?"

"No," Kenta answered. "I like giving stuff to you in person."

Rori looked at the ground as the blood drained from her face. "I don't feel so good."

Garcia jumped up and placed Rori in her desk chair and forced the teens head between her knees. "Go get her dad," Penelope ordered. "Rori, take some deep breaths."

Rossi came in a minute later with Kenta and the rest of the team standing behind him. "What's going on?"

Rori laughed as she tried to ease the tension. "Well, I have some good news and some bad news," she swallowed. "Kenta and I aren't having sex, but I might have a stalker again," she said as she knocked the stuffed dog into Garcia's trash can.

0o0o0o0

Author's Note: Yea! I finished the next part… and now Rori has a stalker! That's awesome! I mean, it's not a kidnapping, so it's different than the last two in the series. I hope you enjoyed it. Obviously this sets up the next couple of chapters for this story.

Rant Time: Feel free to leave this alone. As many of you know I have two accounts on fanfiction. One review rubbed me the wrong way. The reviewer told me that I should only write the stories that have to most readers, finish them, and then work on the others. I know it was meant as a helpful suggestion, but it bothered me. Because if I were to only write the stories that had the most readers, The Justice Card wouldn't be written. I don't have a sketch of what I want to happen with this story. I simply write. I appreciate all of the reviews I get for this story because it's one of my favorites.

Your turn. Leave a review for me to read and I will try to respond. I'm working most of this week, but I'll have Friday off to write.

Shane


	12. Chapter 12

Author: Ren Kayashima

Genre: Family/ Mystery

Rating: T

Disclaimer: Alas my top secret mission to steal the rights to Criminal Minds failed. At the last minute my repel line broke and I was arrested for trespassing on ABC ground. If you would like to help me with bail money…

_**Shout Outs: **__**dyallon: **__** I would never hurt Rori too badly. Well… at least not right now. **_

_**Kimd33: **__** It would appear that Rori can't get a break can she… **_

_**P95000:**__** As I've said many times before, I love writing Rori and Dave's exchanges.**_

_**M**__**eeeeeeee: **__**Yes Poor Rori! I'm not sure who you are. You might be a new reader or a reader who has been with me from the start, but I thank you for showing your face. **_

_**Natsumi Wakabe**__**: Good luck trying to find Ren. She's hiding from you now. Shane will be handling all communications from now on. **_

0o0o0o0

Chapter Twelve:

Rori walked out of Garcia's bathroom as she towel dried her long black hair. "Thank you Penelope. I don't think I can stay at my house right now."

Garcia smiled from her place on the couch. "Please. It's not a problem. I'm due for a sleep over anyway."

"But I can't sleep tonight because of my concussion," Rori said as she took a seat next to the technical analyst.

"I'm not working tomorrow, so no sleep is okay. You aren't going to school either. Letting you attend class sleep deprived is worse than not having you go at all."

The BAU had implemented a Rori-is-to-remain-in-the-presence-of-a-BAU-Team member. Reid happily jumped at the opportunity to tag along on Rori's literature and psychology lectures, and as long as he got his work done in the morning, Hotch was inclined to let him. The young doctor finished almost all of his consults in an hour, so the rest of the day was spent reading and sometimes writing case studies.

Rori refused to set foot in her own home because that where her stalker had confronted her. So Penelope Garcia's small two bedroom apartment had become a temporary home base. Dr. Spencer Reid's condo was next on the list if her stalker found her at Garcia.

"Dad told me that you used to live in a studio," Rori said as she looked around.

"After I got shot, I didn't feel comfortable living in an unprotected complex, so I moved here. The Security is better here and I'm closer to work."

Rori nodded. "What's the deal with you and Kevin?"

Garcia sighed. "I don't know," she answered. "We've been dating for three years and the relationship shows no signs of going past really great sex."

Rori rolled her eyes. "Have you talked about it?"

"I haven't been able too. He's always calling me, but I don't feel like this is a conversation that you can have on the phone."

"Probably not," Rori answered. She yawned. "Why can't I sleep again?"

"You might not wake up."

Rori nodded. "Right. So, what do we do to avoid the dreaded sleep?"

"Espresso and Carrie Grant movies," Garcia smirked.

"Arsenic and Old Lace better be first," Rori said.

"Bringing up Baby actually, but Arsenic will be second," Garcia corrected.

"M'kay," Rori smiled. She stood up and walked into the guest bedroom. She grabbed her blanket and brought it out as Garcia sat down with two plates of Chocolate crème pie slices.

"So what about you and Kenta? Rossi said that your dates mainly consist of falling asleep on the couch."

"The couch is there to provide comfort. Kenta's warm body temperature only adds to that comfort and makes me sleepy," Rori smiled as she wrapped herself in her blanket. "Can we go to my mother's grave tomorrow?"

"Yeah, we can visit Hayley and Emily too."

Rori nodded as they settled in for a night of movies.

0o0o0o0

Dave sat in his quiet home and looked around the living room before she would leave for school, Rori would clean up her things. The house lost its lived-in feel when her hair bands, earrings, notebooks, and textbooks were scattered about.

He would have called her, but she left her cell phone in his care after she realized that it might have been her stalker calling from an unknown number. He was going to have her number changed and maybe this time she could actually have a local number. For the past three years, Rori had been running around with a Bay Area number and it threw everyone for a loop.

Mudgie walked around the living room confused. By now, Rori would have been home and she would have given him a hug and a decent scratch behind the ears. The chocolate lab walked over to Dave and rested his head in the man's lap.

"I miss her too buddy," Dave said as he rubbed one of Mudgie's ears.

Dave's phone rang and he answered it tiredly. "Hello?"

"Good night dad," Rori spoke lightly. "I love you."

Dave smiled. "I love you too."

"I'll see you tomorrow okay? Don't stay up too late," Rori ordered sternly.

"All right, have fun with Garcia."

"I plan on it."

Dave hung up and his smile grew. Even with another kind in their developing relationship. She managed to act like everything was okay. Just for a minute, it felt like they were a normal father and daughter pair.

Although it wasn't on official case, Rori's stalker would be stopped by the BAU. That's the way it worked. If you messed with anyone in their make shift quirky family, you felt the wrath of the entire BAU team. They were a force to be reckoned with, and whoever was stalking Rori would find that out the hard way.

Dave stood up and headed upstairs to his bedroom. He stopped and looked into Rori's bedroom. Some of her mother's sketch books had been left out on her bed. Dave walked in and picked one up. He opened the leather bound book and flipped through the black and white snapshots of Rori as she grew up from a toddler to a teenager. On the back of each sketch was the photo that Christine had drawn from.

Dave picked up another sketch book and opened it to a picture of a floral arrangement on a table. He smiled as he recognized the set up for his and Christine's wedding.

He took the sketchbook with him to his bedroom and looked at it for a good hour before going to bed.

0o0o0o0

Rori and Garcia were walking side by side in the graveyard that the two of them had been to many times before. It was a place to reminisce, think, cry, and laugh. It was a place where their friends and family would forever rest in peace.

Rori held a bouquet of gladioli as she walked casually in her jeans and t-shirt. "What do you think Emily would say if she knew I had a stalker?"

"She'd hunt him down and make him an unwilling eunuch."

Rori snorted in laughter, but even she had to agree that castration wasn't out of the realm of possibility.

Rori looked at the location of her mother's tombstone. Standing in front of it was a man in a grey sweater. His hood was pulled up over his face. Rori stopped walking and pulled Garcia to a stop.

"Do you recognize him?" Rori asked.

The man looked up and Rori knew that she had seen him before. She tried to think of where, but she was having trouble coming up with a place.

The man started to walk away. Rori began running. "Hey wait!" she yelled.

The man broke off into a sprint and Rori ran faster. She quickly caught up and tackled the man's legs. She crawled on top of him as he turned over.

"Stop!" Rori yelled as he threw his arms out. "I just want to talk."

She grabbed his arms and pushed them down onto the ground. The man looked at her in shock and Rori recognized his soft facial features and light blue eyes. She had never seen the man before in real life, but rather in one of the many sketches her mother had. She searched her mind for the sketches title.

"Kyle?" she asked.

0o0o0o0

Author's Note: I welcome you to the mind of Shane. This is what happens when you watch a soap opera for a straight week. Unfortunately my brain wouldn't leave me alone, so I guess that you'll have to suffer through this as well. This little plot line may be just a tad soapy, but I will be trying to keep away from cliché plot lines.

So this story is going to have two defining plots happening at sort of the same time. As you'll see in later chapters. I hope that you will all stick with me through it, and I hope that you find the story interesting.

Just drop me a review letting me know what you think and what you think is going to happen.

Shane


	13. Chapter 13

Author: Ren Kayashima

Genre: Family/ Mystery

Rating: T

Disclaimer: Alas my top secret mission to steal the rights to Criminal Minds failed. At the last minute my repel line broke and I was arrested for trespassing on ABC ground. If you would like to help me with bail money…

_**Shout Outs:**__** Dyallon**__**: I can't tell you how much it means to me when you answer my pestering questions honestly. I hope you find this next chapter to be something worth waiting for. **_

_**Natsumi Wakabe:**__** Good luck with that. Seeing as I'm here in California, and you're currently being tortured by family in Nevada, I have the advantage of advanced planning.**_

_**P95000:**__** A fellow Grant fan! I love all of his movies. He makes me smile on a rainy day. I hope you enjoy this next chapter.**_

_**Kimd33**__**: The mystery of Kyle is about to unfold. Enjoy.**_

0o0o0o0

Chapter Thirteen:

Garcia came to a stop and looked at Rori's stunned expression. "Do you know this guy?" se huffed. She hated running.

Rori just stared at the man under her. He had shaggy black hair and light blue eyes. His face had a slight stubble that stuck out more with his clenched jaw. Seeing him in real life had thrown her into a world of confusion. She's only seen his face in charcoal pencil.

"I… No… I've never met this man before," Rori stuttered. "I'm seen him, but I've never actually met him."

"Get off of me!" the man grunted. "How do you know my name?"

Garcia looked at 'Kyle'. "Why were you at Christine Morre's grave?"

"Why should I tell you," Kyle snapped.

"Because she's my mother!" Rori yelled. "Why does she have a sketch of you?"

"What sketch!" Kyle shouted back, although it was hard with Rori sitting on his abdomen.

Garcia pointed a long manicured nail at Kyle. "I've called the FBI. Your stalking butt is going to jail."

"Stalking?" Kyle asked. "I've been trying to stay away from this girl."

"Garcia and Rori looked at each other in more confusion. "What?" Garcia asked.

"I want nothing to do with Rori Morre," Kyle said as he pushed at Rori's knees.

Rori studied the man's face and found no signs of deception. "He's telling the truth," she stated. "Why were you at my mother's grave?" she asked again.

Kyle avoided her gaze. "I don't need to talk to you."

"I don't understand," Rori muttered. "My mother has a sketch of you in one of her books. Its title is Kyle, which means she knows who you are. But she spent all my life in California. You're only twenty years old."

"Twenty-one," Kyle corrected.

"She only went on business trips. Never to Virginia. How can she have a sketch of you?" Rori asked quietly.

Kyle snorted. "Obviously your mom was stalking me."

Rori dug her knee into Kyle's side and he gritted his teeth in discomfort. "Shut up! My mother would never do that!"

"Dude, can you get off of me?" Kyle asked. "You aren't some ten pound weight at the gym you know."

"How do you know my mom?" Rori yelled in frustration. She wanted answers and his blasé attitude was getting on her nerves. "Don't you dare tell me that you just happened to be observing her tombstone because we all know that's a load of bull."

0o0o0o0

Morgan came running up with Seaver and Reid ten minutes later. "What's going on?"

Garcia pointed to Kyle accusingly. "This guy was at the grave of Rori's mother. Rori called out and he ran. Rori chased after him and tackled him to the ground."

"You did what!" Morgan asked. "Rori, what if this guy is your stalker. He could have hurt you!"

Rori looked up from her spot on top of Kyle. She had moved slightly so that he could breathe, but she still pinned him to the ground. "What was I supposed to do?"

"Let me run away," Kyle sighed.

"Like hell!"

"Rori, get off of him," Reid stated.

Rori crawled off of Kyle and Morgan lifted him up. "Let's talk," the agent said.

0o0o0o0

Rori paced in the observation room that looked into the interview room. Kyle was seated at a table, and Hotch and Morgan stood in the barren room staring at the young man. Dave came into the room with Kenta following close behind. Kenta handed Rori a sketchbook. "This is the only one that doesn't have a photo attached to the sketch," Kenta said. He looked at Kyle. "Is that your stalker?"

Rori shook her head as she started searching through the pages. She stopped and ran her fingers over the sketch that had been haunting her mind since she laid eyes on Kyle. Sure enough, Kyle's slightly younger face had been sketched out.

Dave looked at her and then the page. "How does your mother know him?"

Rori left the observation room and entered the interview room. Morgan and Hotch looked at her in shock. Rori dropped the book in front of Kyle. "My mom drew this picture five years ago. You were sixteen right?"

Kyle looked at the sketch and leaned forward. Hotch pulled Rori back gently to talk to her. "Rori, you shouldn't be here," he told her quietly.

Rori didn't take her eyes off of Kyle. "Hotch, I need to know," she said. "If I don't, my mind won't stop thinking about it."

"This is an exact copy of my school photo from sophomore year," Kyle said.

Garcia walked into the observation room. "I have information on Kyle Bishop."

Dave looked away from Rori and at the peppy technical analyst. "What have you got?"

"He's a student at George Washington University. His major is Criminal Justice Studies. He's adopted too."

"Any record?"

"No, he was a straight A student in high school and his college GPA is currently sitting at a really good 3.9," Garcia said. The kid was squeaky clean.

Dave watched Rori's tense posture. He was worried. There were too many questions, and like or not, Rori was in the middle of everything. He had a feeling that this was going to change a lot of things in their world. They wouldn't all be good either.

"Look," Rori began as she sat down across from Kyle. "It's obvious my mother knew you, and you know her. In some way. I don't know how you do, but you wouldn't have been at her grave if you didn't know her."

Kyle stared at Rori. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"Try me," Rori challenged.

Reid entered the observation room and bit his thumb. He studied Kyle and looked at Garcia. "Do you have a printout photo of him?" he asked.

"Yeah," Garcia handed the young doctor a printout of Kyle's DMV photo. "What do you see?"

"I don't know," Reid muttered. He looked at Dave. "Do you have a photo of Rori on you?"

Dave pulled out his wallet and retrieved a professional photo of Rori. She was in red shorts and a black t-shirt. Running down the front of the shirt was the red Coca-Cola logo. He handed the photo over to the young doctor.

Reid held the photo's together and studied them closely. A minute later, his face became animated when he found what had been bothering him. "They're related," Reid stated.

Kenta looked up in surprise. Garcia was the first to speak. "What?"

"Look at their cheek bones, and the pacing of their facial feature. You only see such commonalities in family members."

Dave looked at the two photos. Kate didn't have children and there weren't any other Morre family members. How was this possible?

Rori crossed her arms as she stared at Kyle. She sighed. "I just want an answer. I would ask my mom, but that's impossible now."

"_Our_ mother," Kyle said.

Rori froze and looked at the sketch book. "What?"

Kyle leaned back in his seat and smirked. "You heard me. Christine Morre is my mom."

Dave watched as Rori's body tensed up even further in shock. It was like her could see the spinning wheels and cogs in her head come to a screeching halt. Her mind had flat lined for the first time since he had met her last summer. _Christine has a son?_ He asked himself.

0o0o0o0

Author's Note: I'm still on the fence about this plot line. I mean, I still wrote it and it flows relatively well, but I feel like I may have taken a wrong turn somewhere… I still like the story line, and perhaps because I've never written something like this before is the reason I feel so weird about it. I have plans for this Kyle character so bringing him in now only sets up stuff for the next Rossi/Rori adventure. Rori still has a stalker though, so we'll see what comes from that story line as well.

So, now as the reader, I must ask something of you. Please drop me a review letting me know what you think. Especially since I do feel so off about the chapter. I want to know if it was good and what you think might happen in the story.

Ja ne.

Shane


	14. Chapter 14

Author: Ren Kayashima

Genre: Family/ Mystery

Rating: T

Disclaimer: Alas my top secret mission to steal the rights to Criminal Minds failed. At the last minute my repel line broke and I was arrested for trespassing on ABC ground. If you would like to help me with bail money…

_**Shout Outs: **__**Dyallon: **__** Thank you for sharing your story with me. That means a lot. I hope I can do this plot arc justice.**_

_**Kimd33:**__** I'm glad to find that I caught you off guard. That makes you more interested in the writing.**_

_**P95000:**__** Rori doesn't always think before she acts does she… Anyway, you'll find out about Kyle's father in this chapter.**_

_**Hxchick: **__**I'd say less than a week is pretty soon right? To be honest, I wasn't planning on doing this story line, but it wouldn't leave me alone.**_

_**Natsumi Wakabe**__**: I guess because you called me, I can let your lack of review slip by this once. Now I won't be giving you anymore hints. I talk about this story too much with you as is.**_

0o0o0o0

Chapter Fourteen:

Rori's mind was floating in a pitch black world. She had a brother and never knew. She swallowed as she tried to find her voice. "There has to be a mistake," she said. "Mom never mentioned having a son. She would have told me."

"Why?" Kyle asked. "She didn't want me and put me for adoption." He leaned back in his seat and put his hands behind his head. For someone sitting in a FBI interrogation room, he had an oddly cocky attitude when speaking with his supposed sister. "I am curious as to why she kept you thought. We're only a few years apart. What are you sixteen?"

"Eighteen," Rori muttered.

Kenta looked at Dave. "What are you going to do?" he asked.

"Rori's stuck," Garcia frowned. "She doesn't know what to say, does she?" she asked Rossi.

Rori stood up so that she could pull her mother's sketch book closer to her person. "I…" she took a deep breath as she formed an entire speech in her head. "She would have told me," she whispered. She braced her hands against the table. How could a speech help her confusion?

Hotch decided that now would be the time to step in. He looked at Kyle. "How do you know that Christine Morre is your mother?"

"She gave my adoptive parents a letter to give to me," Kyle answered. He reached into a pocket slowly and pulled out a folded crème envelope. He held it between two fingers the way same way Rori did when she was presenting someone with something.

Rori stared at the envelope. "What does it say?"

Kyle slid the letter across the table with a smug smirk. Rori picked it up before sinking in her chair once more. She opened the letter and she had to pause as she looked at her mom's handwriting. She had to know if it was true. After a stuttering breath Rori began to read quickly.

_February 28, 1990_

_Kyle,_

_If you reading this then it means that today is your eighteenth birthday, and your parents kept their promise and have given you this letter. I'm writing this on the day you were born so, I guess a Happy Birthday is in order. How does it feel to be a legal adult?_

_A mother should always be able to care and provide for her child, but as is, I can barely care for myself. The Bishops are paying your medical expenses and all of mine since they agreed to adopt you and bring you into their lives. They are great people who couldn't have children of their own, so this arrangement worked for us._

_I wrote this because there was a chance that you would want to find out more about your biological parents. You're parents and I came to a mutual agreement on how you would be raised by them and when you became an adult, should you want to, you can contact me. I'd love to answer any and all of your questions if you have them. If you talk to your mother, she knows how to get in touch with me._

_Christine Morre_

Rori looked up at Kyle. "You have my birthday," she said.

"Whoopie," Kyle stated dully. "By the time I actually wanted to talk to her, she had died in a car crash. Then I found out that she left behind a daughter. She couldn't keep her first child, but she kept her baby girl."

"So why didn't you contact Kate?" Rori asked angrily. If he wanted to know he mother, he should have tried harder.

"My dad died when I was a kid, and my mom died six months after my eighteenth birthday. I didn't know who to go to for information on my biological mother's family. So, I decided to focus on school, and leave Christine Morre's perfect daughter alone," Kyle stated sourly.

"Why does everyone say that I'm perfect!" Rori yelled. "You should have tried to contact Kate. How can you find out about our mom if you don't ask questions?"

Morgan moved from his corner of the room. "Rori, you need to calm down."

Rori pushed her seat out and stood up. "No, I need to get the hell out of this stupid place," she growled as Kyle watched in amusement. She turned and stormed out of the room prompting everyone to move from their own spots and follow her.

Kyle jumped up and kept up with her quick stomping footsteps. "If you can't handle the truth, then maybe you shouldn't have pushed so hard," he said while a large smirk had curved his lips. "Are you some sort of mental masochist?"

Rori turned quickly and punched the older man in the jaw. "You don't know me! I'm confused and hurt, but more than anything, I'm really angry. You have no idea what was going on in her world and you have the nerve to judge me. I don't care if you are my brother, you're an ass and I want nothing to do with you."

Kenta ran past Kyle as he massaged his jaw. Rori grabbed her shoulder bag off of Reid's desk and made her way out of the BAU. Kenta glanced at Rori's lost brother one last time before following his girlfriend to the elevator.

Dave walked up to Kyle who looked at him with a steely glare. "Come to lecture me?" Kyle asked.

"My daughter just punched you in the jaw, so I'll keep it short." Dave said. "All I have to say is this. If you really wanted to know who Christine was, then it would have been really easy for you to get information on her and her family. There were people who would answer your questions. There's more to why you gave up finding out about your biological mother. If you're telling the truth that is, can I ask you to do a cheek swab?"

"Why did she keep Rori?" Kyle asked with a frown. "Why couldn't she keep me?"

"I met Christine a few months after you were born," Dave said. "I had come into her life just as she was crawling out from under a huge amount of debt and a job that wouldn't give her a chance. She didn't have the money to take care of herself and a child. When Rori was born, Christine was making a more than decent living in California."

"Did you know that she had been pregnant?"

Dave shook his head. "She never told me I had a daughter either," he pulled out his cell phone and grabbed a post-it from Morgan's desk. "But there's someone who can answer all of your questions. He knew Christine the longest. This is the address to his shop."

Dave handed the post-it to Kyle and his card. "Call me if you have any questions that he can't answer. We were only married for a year and a half, but I think I knew her enough."

Kyle took the card and address. "Does she really have a stalker?" he asked referring to Rori.

"I can't say anything on that matter," Dave shrugged. "Now excuse me, I have to find out where Rori ran away to this time," he sighed and headed to his office to make some calls.

0o0o0o0

Giles walked around his small bookshop quietly. He looked at the reading couch in the corner of his shop and found his goddaughter curled up fast asleep under a red throw.

Giles was a long-time friend of Christine Morre. They had gone to school together, and shared each other's secrets. Even when on opposite sides of the earth, Giles was always the first to know the good and bad news.

So, when Rori came into his old book shop rambling about a lost brother, he knew that she had somehow met Kyle. He prepared tea like he always did when she was upset, only to find that she fell asleep during the wait.

Giles took a sip of his warm teas as the bell above his door dinged. He looked over and smiled. "I wondered when you would show up."

"Are you Giles?" the young man asked as he looked at a post-it.

"Yes, I suppose it was David Rossi who gave you my address," Giles said. "Come sit down Kyle. Let's see if I can answer your questions."

"I don't want to trouble you," Kyle said as he looked at the shelves filled with old books.

"See as Christine's daughter has already showed up, you aren't being a bother. I have tea. Do you want some?" Giles asked moving from behind his front counter.

"No thank you," Kyle declined.

"I guess you're a coffee drinker like your sister. Very well, let's sit down over here," Giles smiled gently as he made his way over to two reading chairs positioned in front of the couch with Rori.

Kyle looked at Rori and sighed. "I can come back," he whispered.

"That's not necessary. Rori sleep's like the dead," Giles said as he lowered himself into a plush red chair. "Plus if we don't talk now, you might not come back. So sit down so that we may talk. What do you want to know first?"

"Is my dad alive?" Kyle asked.

"No, he died three months into Christine's pregnancy," Giles said after taking a sip of his tea.

"Who was he?" Kyle asked.

"My brother," Giles answered casually. "Before you ask, Christine and I decided on adoption together after my brother's passing. At the time I was living in Italy as a book binder. I was still an apprentice and wasn't making a lot of money, and neither was she."

"What was my mom like?"

Giles smiled. "To everyone she was different, but she loved easily. She wanted to keep you, but she knew that the Bishops were in a better position to care for you. They sent her updates and photo's, so even if you didn't see her, she was still a part of your life."

Kyle looked at Rori. "Why didn't she tell people about me? I mean she didn't tell her own daughter."

"Christine wasn't one to let people in. It didn't matter how close you were to her. She bottled everything up inside," Giles explained. "It was something she struggled with, and it's possible she kept it all to herself because of how guilty she felt. It's hard when you realize that you can't take care of something so innocent."

"And my dad? What was he like?"

"He was charismatic, fun, and the more outgoing brother," Giles said. "He died of a brain aneurism. Your mother and he were engaged, but he died before they got married."

Kyle glanced at the sleeping Rori. "I made her angry."

"That's not hard to do. It's her Italian blood. She doesn't like to be surprised."

Rori groaned and opened her eyes as the doorbell dinged again. "Giles, I've been asked to collect Rori," Kenta's voice called form the door.

Rori stared bleary eyes at her god father. "By all means take her to the Kayashima household," Giles yelled back. He looked at Kyle. "Would you like to talk more over some food? I have to close up shop, but I have some pasta upstairs."

Kenta came in and looked at Kyle. "What are you doing here?" he asked as he walked over to Rori and hugged her close.

Rori looked at Kyle and glared at him. "Kenta please let me hit him."

Kyle looked at her. "I'm sorry all right. I can be an ass sometimes, but you have to admit that I have the right to be a little angry," he stated.

Kenta began pulling Rori to the door. "Come on, mom's making gyoza and soba tonight."

"Tell your mother I said hello," Giles smiled.

"Will do."

Giles looked at Kyle. "She'll warm up to you. She always does. She used to hate Kenta and now she's dating him."

0o0o0o0

Kimi Kayashima opened her front door to find a weary Dave standing on the porch with his go bag and three dogs. "Long day?"

"My daughter just found out she has a stalker and a long lost brother, so my day doesn't seem nearly as bad," Dave sighed.

"There's the accident on top of that," Kimi added.

Dave groaned in distaste. "Don't remind me, I have to buy a new car."

"They're up in Kenta's bedroom," Kimi smiled as she let the profiler and his pets come inside.

The Kayashima's were closer to work, and Rori still refused to go back to the Rossi household, so Dave would be stealing one of their guestrooms for a little bit. Kenta could take Rori to school in his car, so Dave didn't have to worry about driving Rori all the way to Georgetown and then Quantico.

Dave followed Kimi up a flight of dark polished wood stairs and down a long hallway. The house was large, but when Kimi was a fashion designer, and her husband dealt with security, a five bedroom house was affordable.

Kimi opened her youngest son's door to show Rori and Kenta asleep in the queen sized mattress. Dave had to take a deep breath to prevent the impending heart attack. He grunted in disapproval as Kimi grinned. "They're adults Dave. If they want to do it, you can't stop them."

"I have a gun," Dave stated. "A loaded gun. I find that they're great motivators."

"Oh, I bet that will go over real well with Rori," Kimi laughed. "I'm sorry the gun just went off, but maybe next time he'll keep it in his pants."

Rori buried her face in Kenta's chest to block the light and Dave smiled. She looked relaxed even after everything that had happened in the past two days. Maybe he could allow this sleeping arrangement just once. But if he came downstairs the next morning without a shirt, the gun was coming out.

0o0o0o0

Author's Note: Wow! This is one of my longer chapters. And just think there's more to come! I like what I have planned out. This chapter flowed, but I'm not sure if certain parts work. I'll have to see what you guys think.

Drop a review on this chapter and I hope you all stay tuned for the next chapter of The Justice Card.

Shane


	15. Chapter 15

Author: Ren Kayashima

Genre: Family/ Mystery

Rating: T

Disclaimer: Alas my top secret mission to steal the rights to Criminal Minds failed. At the last minute my repel line broke and I was arrested for trespassing on ABC ground. If you would like to help me with bail money…

_**Shout Outs: **__**Dyallon: **__**As always, I can't thank you enough for your continued support of this story. Especially since you sent me a review while you were on the road. So thank you.**_

_**Kimd33: **__**Kyle's not so jerky in this one. He's toned down and kind of nice.**_

_**P95000: **__**I'm so glad you enjoyed the end. I needed something humorous after everything else. **_

_**Booksandmusic97:**__** You're back! Oh how I've missed you! I'm glad you've enjoyed this past chapter.**_

_**Hxchick: **__**Well you said you couldn't wait and now I present you with this fine chapter. I hope Kyle is presented in a brighter light for this chapter.**_

_**Natsumi Wakabe:**__** I guess you didn't get the memo. All older brothers are dicks at least ten times in your lifetime. It's only when you get older that you and your brother get along because you're too old to care.**_

0o0o0o0

Chapter fifteen:

Kyle was walking out of Ivory Hall at George Washington University when someone called his name. He turned around to find a red headed girl from his Philosophy class running to catch up to him.

"Hey Alice," Kyle greeted. "What's up?"

"I wasn't in class yesterday, so I was wondering if I could get your notes," Alice smiled gently.

Kyle stared at her. "Sure," he slid his backpack off his shoulder. He was going to take his notes to a local café, get some food, and study. He pulled a thin blue notebook from his bag and held it out to his classmate.

Alice followed him as he walked out of the building. The two of them were headed towards the main road. "So, do you have any plans for the weekend?" Alice asked.

"One of my roommates is making steaks tonight, and we're going to a food and wine festival tomorrow," Kyle said. And he had to figure out how to get in contact with Rori when she wanted nothing to do with him.

"You only turned twenty-one a couple months ago. Isn't it a little early in life to start drinking wine?"

"I don't drink alcohol. I can't bear the smell of it," Kyle stated. "What about you? Do you have any plans for the weekend?"

"My boyfriend's coming down from New York for the weekend," Alice grinned. "He's studying music at Julliard."

"That's cool," Kyle smiled. "I guess you don't get to see him very often."

Alice pointed to something ahead of them. "That's him with his twin and their best friend."

Kyle looked ahead and found Rori standing in between the Kayashima twins. She was in a Kelly green t-shirt with a white sleeveless open knit vest, her green glasses, and a pair of light blue jeans. The twins were in matching black jeans and white t-shirts.

Rori was busy looking at her phone, so she didn't see Kyle.

"Come on," Alice said grabbing his arm. "I'll introduce you to them."

Suddenly, he didn't want to talk with Rori. "I don't think that's a good idea," Kyle said as he tried to dig his heels into the cement.

"Come on, you only talk with your two roommates. It would be good for you to meet some new people. We're a little younger, but that's okay," Alice explained. "Kenta and Rori go to Georgetown, so you could meet up with them sometimes."

Rori looked up when she heard Alice chatting away with someone. Her eyes locked on Kyle and she groaned. "Fuck me," she moaned. "Of course it would be him."

"Living with your dad has made you swear less. I'm not sure how long it's been since you last said that," Kenta stated. "But, I understand why you said it."

"Do you know Kyle?" Alice asked innocently. She'd been kept out of the loop on this private family matter.

"Alice, Kyle is Rori's brother," Kaoru stated.

The only reason the older twin knew what was going on was because Kenta and Rori talked to him nightly through video chat. The three of them were closer than blood relatives and they wouldn't change that relationship.

Alice looked at Rori. "You have a brother?" she asked as her confusion grew.

"I didn't know he existed until last week," Rori stated coldly.

"Still mad at me?" Kyle sighed as he asked his younger sister.

"Irked, but understandably so seeing as you were a complete dick."

Kyle took a deep breath and let out a long sigh. He thought about his conversation with Giles and remembered something that he had told him.

"_Rori has wanted two things her entire life. A dad would be there to pick her up when she fell, and an older brother to run to when the bullies were being mean to her. She didn't get those when she was growing up, and now you have a chance to help her with that last wish. You just have to decide if you want a younger sister to talk to."_

"Can we talk," Kyle asked as he looked Rori in the eyes.

Rori stared at him as she tried to come up with an excuse not to 'talk' with Kyle. Unfortunately, she _wanted_ to talk to him. She wanted to find out more about her brother.

"I guess," she answered nonchalantly as her inner self did cart wheel around the hollow empty halls of her brain. "I assume you mean privately?"

Kyle looked at his chunky wrist watch. "We could get an early dinner."

Kyle looked at Rori. "Dude, this is the first time we haven't had a BAU team member watching our every move. We were going to see a movie."

Rori took Kenta's hand and leaned over to whisper in his ear. She smiled and gave him a peck on the cheek. Rori turned her attention back to Kyle. "What kind of food do you like?"

"Pizza," Kyle answered. It was a weekly meal with his roommates. He'd have to let his roommate that the steaks were going to have to wait a night.

"Works for me," Rori smiled.

"I'm really confused," Alice butted in.

Kaoru laughed and wrapped his arms around the red heads waist. "Kenta and I will explain everything to you. So why don't you take us to the schools gallery to show us your artwork. That way the brother and sister can talk without interruption."

Kenta gave Rori's hand a squeeze. "Call me if anything happens," he said looking at her.

"I will," Rori said. "Don't worry about me. I can take care of myself."

Kyle and Rori watched at Kaoru dragged Kenta and Alice away. The brother and sister stood in an awkward silence until Rori looked up to Kyle. "Your car or mine?" she asked.

"I have a motorcycled, so I think your car is the way to go," Kyle said.

"M'kay."

As the two of them walked towards the parking lot, Kyle decided to ask the first question. "Is it true that you've always wanted an older brother?"

Rori nodded as she kept her eyes on the path ahead of them.

"Why?"

"Kaoru and Kenta have an older sister named Kono. She's a college student at UC Berkeley studying political science," Rori said. "Anyway, they're really close to her and call her _Neechan_ which is Japanese for older sister. It's often used at a term of endearment. I wanted someone who I could call _Niisan."_

"Let me guess, older brother?" Kyle asked. "Why didn't you want a big sister?"

Rori smiled sadly. "I wanted to be daddy's only little girl," she said. "But I've missed out on that too."

"But you live with your dad," Kyle said confused.

Kyle thought about his adoptive father. The two of them fixed motorcycles. Well, Kyle would pretend he was driving as his dad changed the oil.

"I've only been living with him since this last summer," Rori stated. "I only met his family a couple weeks ago, and that was a whole fiasco in itself. We're still learning about each other."

"It's pretty cool that David Rossi is your dad," Kyle stated.

"You're a fan?"

"I'm a Criminal Justice Studies major. It would be negligent if I wasn't," Kyle smiled.

As they came to the student parking lot Rori skipped ahead to a Black Mustang GT. Kyle stopped walking and stared at the polished exterior. "This is your car?" he asked.

Rori nodded with a big stupid grin on her face. "Not my original one. That one was silver. It got destroyed in an accident last week."

"What happened?" Kyle asked.

"Drunken fool ran a red light as I was crossing the intersection," Rori grumbled. "My poor GT's engine was smooshed."

"Were you okay?" Kyle asked only to realize that she was standing before him looking unharmed.

Rori lifted her bangs out of the way to show off her stiches. "I got a concussion and a cut," she answered. "The next day I punched you in the jaw."

Kyle rubbed his jaw. The bruise had been covered up by one of his roommates. He didn't need to go walking around with a black thing on his face all because a girl had punched him. "I'm sorry I gave you such a hard time," he said. "You must have been feeling pretty crappy."

"Believe me finding out I had a brother definitely took the cake on that whole fiasco known as a week, but I acted like a child having a temper tantrum, and I apologize," Rori said as she slipped behind the wheel. She waited for Kyle to sit in his seat. "I'm just as angry as you. Just for a very different reason. My mom should have told me that I had a brother."

Kyle glanced as her as she slowly began backing out of the parking spot. "Should we start over?"

Rori shook her head. "No point. You're not on my list anymore."

"What list?"

"The list of people I hate," Rori answered. "If you're wondering, you were taken off when you asked to sincerely talk to me. And you drive a motorcycle."

Kyle laughed slightly. "That's all someone has to do to get off your hate list? Ask to talk and drive a motorcycle."

Rori nodded as she smiled. "A hug helps you even further."

"Good to know," Kyle said as he leaned into his seat. "How many people are on this list?"

"Two people back in California," Rori answered simply as she pulled out onto the main road. "They won't be coming off anytime soon either."

"Do I want to ask how they ended up on your list?"

"You and I aren't that close," Rori said. "Yet," she added.

Kyle smiled. He'd always wanted a sister. "What kind of toppings do you like on your pizza?"

"Meat," Rori laughed.

0o0o0o0

Kyle and Rori sat in a busy pizza parlor. It was filled with college students looking for a cheap meal to share with friends and colorful band posters. A baseball game was playing on the big screens that looked down on the chattering pizza lovers.

A half-eaten sausage and pepperoni pizza sat between the brother and sister as they laughed at some stupid joke that Kyle had heard the other day. Their serious talk had finished in the car and now it was time for bonding. A waitress walked over holding an envelope. "Excuse me. Are you Rori?" the woman asked.

Rori looked up and blinked. "Yeah," she answered as she dropped her slice of pizza on a plate. She looked at Kyle only to find him just as confused as she was.

The waitress held out the envelope for Rori to take. "A gentleman asked me to give this to you," the waitress said.

Rori took the envelope cautiously and looked at the calligraphy that spelled out her full name. _Rori Anne Morre-Rossi. _ A sinking feeling settled in her stomach as she stared at it.

0o0o0o0

Author's Note: Hmmm. I wonder what's in the envelope. I guess we'll have to wait for the next chapter to find out huh. The story is still going uphill. I know that this chapter is focused on the OC's but I needed to settle the air with Rori and Kyle. We'll also find out where the BAU was during all of this in the next chapter.

I'm not sure, but I think that this story will be longer than The Death Card. Maybe because there were three serious matters I included. Prentiss's "death", Rori's stalker, and Rori's brother. It's a lot to take in, so there would naturally be two chapters for it.

Anyway, drop me a review. The Justice Card now has more reviews than any of its predecessors, so thank you to everyone who reviews.

Shane


	16. Chapter 16

Author: Ren Kayashima

Genre: Family/ Mystery

Rating: T

Disclaimer: Alas my top secret mission to steal the rights to Criminal Minds failed. At the last minute my repel line broke and I was arrested for trespassing on ABC ground. If you would like to help me with bail money…

_**Shout Outs: **__**Dyallon:**__** Thank you for the review. I'm trying to have Kyle and Rori ease into a friendship. It turns out it's not as easy as I thought it would be.**_

_**Natsumi Wakabe:**__** You foreshadowed. Brilliant, but you might be surprised in what you might find. **_

_**P95000: **__** We'll find out what's in the envelope very soon. I hope you enjoy the later Kyle and Rori interactions.**_

_**Kimd33: **__**Kyle's making his way into being a main character. Well supporting character would be a more accurate term. Thank you for the review.**_

_**Sexysnake:**__** I'm glad you caught up on this series, and I'm very happy that you're now a fan of Rori.**_

0o0o0o0

Chapter Sixteen:

Dave sat in a New York police department looking at the victim board in front of him. In the past week, three young women had been killed.

They were college age girls, just like Rori. The case in San Diego was hard enough, but Rori wasn't walking around with a stalker then.

Morgan came in to the room and handed the senior agents a cup of coffee. "Thinking about Rori?"

"She's with the twins for today. They're going to see a movie," Rossi said. "The twins aren't supposed to let her escape their sight."

"But you're still worried."

Rossi gestured to the board. "Look at what we're working on. These girls are getting their throats cut, and on top of that, the unsub carves 'FAKE' into their arm. I can't help but see Rori's face on that board sometimes."

Rossi's cell phone rang and he glanced at it as it rested on a small table. He picked it up tiredly and answered. "Hello Rori," he sighed.

"Dad I can't go back to the Kayashima's tonight," Rori stated. "Something came up."

"What happened?" Rossi asked sitting forward.

"Well I went to get an early dinner with Kyle-"

"You what?" Dave asked harshly. He could almost feel Rori wince through the phone, so he dialed it back a notch. "I thought you didn't want to see Kyle."

"I changed my mind," Rori stated. "That's not the point. Senor Stalker had a waitress give me a gift."

Rossi froze "What was it?"

"Photos," Rori answered. "Photos of me in front of Pen's complex, Kenta's balcony, there's a photo of me in Spencer's condo from two days ago. You know, the day he gave me all of his old psychology textbooks and papers for my research project."

Rossi pinched the bridge of his nose as he felt a migraine coming on. "Are there any other photos of you?"

"Yes, there are photos of me around Georgetown," Rori answered. There was a brief pause before Rori's voice got quieter. "There's something else."

"What?"

"There are pictures of girls. I think they may be dead," Rori stated quietly.

Morgan was watching, and from the pale faced and slack jawed expression on Rossi, he could tell that Rori had given him unwelcome news.

"I'll be home soon," Dave said standing up.

"No, dad it's okay," Rori said quickly. "I'm sure I'm overreacting to the situation. They're just photos and my stalker still hasn't made any moves to contact me in person. That's good right?"

"Rori, he sent you pictures of dead girls," Dave grinded out. He couldn't be mad at Rori. It wasn't her fault this was happening.

"I don't know if they're actually dead," Rori defended. "Dad, please. Your team needs you. I'm sure I can find somewhere to hide for a couple days until you get back."

"Rori, you aren't going to argue with me on this one," Dave practically growled. It was getting harder to contain his anger. "I've seen many stalkers before. This can get really bad if he's actually killing people and sending photo's to you. I'm coming home, and we're going to find this guy."

"Dad stop!" Rori yelled loud enough for Morgan to hear. "I'm already scared. If you come home immediately, it just tells me that this guy is someone to be afraid of. More so than I already am. I can't live like that. Please, can't I stay in a state of denial for a little bit longer? At least until you get back."

Dave sat back down in his seat. "Take the photos to Garcia. I want to see them. Once I see them, I'll decide if I need to come home. That's the only compromise you'll get out of me."

There was a long pause on the line. "Okay. I can do that."

"Is Kyle with you now?" Dave asked.

"He's standing next to me and was with me when I got the photos," Rori answered.

"Put him on the phone," Rossi ordered. He sensed her hesitation and mentally growled. "Now."

Rossi listened as there was shuffling on the other end of the phone. "Hello?"

"Listen, Rori could be in danger. I won't know until I see the photos," Dave started. "I still don't trust you completely."

"Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence," Kyle stated dully.

"You really are her brother," Dave grunted. "Look, I know you aren't her stalker. We checked. So it's okay for her to be alone with you. I'm ordering you to take my daughter to the FBI Academy in Quantico. Once she gives the photos to Garcia, you are never to let her out of your sight. Not until I call later. If this is really as bad as I think it is, you stick to my daughter like white on rice. Do you understand?"

"I think I do," Kyle stated. Dave could hear the smirk in the twenty-one-year-old's voice.

"Don't be a smartass. Just do it," Dave stated darkly. He wasn't on the phone with Rori and could afford to be a little mean.

"Yeah, yeah, I understand all right," Kyle sighed. "Is that all?"

"If you lose her, I'll shoot you," Dave said. "Don't think that I won't do it either."

"Got it. Mission Keep Daddy's Little Girl Out of Harm's Way is a go," Kyle laughed. "Bye."

Dave heard the phone disconnect and his nostrils flared slightly. "Somehow, only Rori's joking attitude about potentially dangerous situations seem acceptable," he sighed.

"That's because it's Rori," Morgan stated. "She's not Rori if she isn't throwing out some joking remark about serial killers and kidnappers."

Dave rubbed his face in exhaustion. Morgan took a seat in front of the older agent.

"Rori's stalked sent her pictures of dead girls?" Morgan asked.

"And pictures of her outside Garcia's apartment, and in Reid's condo," Rossi nodded.

"She's taking them to Garcia?"

Dave nodded again as he took a sip of coffee.

"This is bad," Morgan stated.

"I know. She doesn't want to be afraid," Dave stated. Me getting on a plane to come home only makes her fear grow."

"It's a reasonable fear Rossi. You know it is," Morgan said. "There's someone following her around, and he might be a murderer. We all know how unpredictable stalkers can be."

"She's with Kyle, so I know she's not alone while I figure out if she's in any true danger at the moment," Dave said. "As much as I don't trust Kyle as far as I can throw him, I know he's not Rori's stalker. There's not much of a connection between the two, so she might be safe with him for a little bit. Once the stalk catches on to their familial relationship, that safety is gone."

"We can say the same thing about the Kayashima twins not being her stalker, so why doesn't Rori stay with them a little longer?"

"There are pictures of her sitting on Kenta's balcony. She likes to sit on the railing and look at the stars. She does the same thing on our roof."

"Aren't you afraid she'll fall?" Morgan asked distracted for a moment. Rossi and the Kayashima's both lived in two story homes and fall from a balcony can be dangerous.

"The deep end of the pool is underneath both perches."

"So if Rori can't stay at her boyfriends, then where will she stay?"

0o0o0o0

Rori entered Garcia's office with Kyle in tow. "All right, here are the photos," she stated. "Kyle's taking me to his dorm," she grumbled.

"It's safe there," Kyle said crossing his arms.

"I've been abducted from Georgetown's campus twice," Rori scoffed. "What make you think that GWU is any safer?"

"I've got two roommates. One of them is a world champion in Lei Tai fighting, and the other is a master of disguise. It's why he's in charge of make up for our school plays," Kyle explained.

Garcia smiled at Kyle. "Keep her in sight, or I will unleash a horrible Trojan on your computer causing you to lose any and all schoolwork you have on it."

"So you'll kill my computer while her dad is busy killing me with his gun. Got it," Kyle sighed. He looked at Rori. "Any other threats I should be made aware of."

"Watch out for Derek," Rori said. "He'll break every bone in your body before my dad shoots you. If Emily was here she's make you a eunuch."

"Nobody hurts my BAU babies and gets away with it," Garcia huffed.

"Pen, I'm eighteen," Rori laughed.

Garcia pulled the photo's out and started looking them over. "My creep-o-meter just went off the charts, and I think I might be moving again," she mumbled. She stopped on a picture of one of the dead girls. "This isn't good."

"Why?" Kyle asked.

Rori looked at her friend. "What's wrong?"

"Rori these girls are the victims of a serial killer in New York," Garcia explained. "This is the case the BAU is working on."

There was a long pause as Kyle and Rori processed this information. Kyle blinked and grabbed Rori by the shoulders as he looked at her. "I didn't sign up for this," he said simply.

Rori looked at him. "And you think I did?" she asked.

Kyle couldn't argue with her and he really didn't want to get shot. He looked at the technical analyst. "We'll be leaving now. I don't need to be shot by an FBI agent. GWU here we come," her turned Rori around and started pushing her out of the door. "Nice talking to you."

Garcia stood up. "Wait!" she shouted.

"Nope, I've got to get Rori out of here," Kyle stated looking back. "Away from public view. I've been tasked with protecting the BAU's young maiden, with the penalty of death if I don't. Good night!"

Garcia watched as the brother and sister walked towards the elevators.

"Dude, you are involved in some serious shit," Kyle said.

"Dude, don't use dude if you aren't from California," Rori stated. "Stick to your East Coast colloquialisms, and I'll stick to my West Coast mannerisms. And what do you mean I'm involved in some serious shit, it's not like I asked for this to happen to me."

Garcia smiled slightly. In truth she was very worried, but at least Rori had someone who was willing to help her out while the BAU searched for a killer. She entered her office once more to call Rossi and give him the bad news.

0o0o0o0

Author's Note: Yeah! I finished the next chapter for all of you. Aren't you happy? Well anyway, I'm enjoying the interaction I'm writing so let's see if I can keep it up. Not much by way of a note this time around. Finals are coming up in a few weeks so I should be studying, but my mind doesn't like to listen to what it should be doing.

Leave me a review letting me know what you think. There were some interesting points in this chapter and I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Shane


	17. Chapter 17

Author: Ren Kayashima

Genre: Family/ Mystery

Rating: T

Disclaimer: Alas my top secret mission to steal the rights to Criminal Minds failed. At the last minute my repel line broke and I was arrested for trespassing on ABC ground. If you would like to help me with bail money…

_**Shout Outs: **__**Dyallon: **__** Your long standing support for my stories is fantastic. Thank you for your honest reviews and all the support.**_

_**Kimd33:**__** Well I hope it gets more interesting.**_

_**P95000:**__** The stalkers going to get creepier… I like giving Garcia some really great lines. **_

_**Sexysnake:**__** I know right. Reid and Rori get in so much trouble. I certainly hope the BAU is in for a while ride. **_

0o0o0o0

Chapter Seventeen:

Kyle and Rori were walking quietly down a long dormitory hallway. Rori held her trusty blanket and a duffel bag. "This is gonna go over _real_ well with my dad," Rori mumbled. "He's not going to like the idea of me staying in a dorm with three guys."

"The only one he would have to worry about it Jared, and you're not his type."

"Oh yeah," Rori challenged. "What type does he prefer?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Smart."

"I'll have you know that I have an established IQ of 179," Rori stated. "I am quite smart."

Kyle stated at her. "Really?" he asked. "And you're only a freshman in college?"

"Mom kept me at a normal progression, so I never advanced farther then the twins," Rori said. "They're a year older than me."

"Dear old daddy is okay with you dating a guy older than you?" Kyle asked. "Isn't he afraid you'll do something with him?"

"I don't think he needs to worry about me and Kenta when I have a murderous stalker killing girls in New York," Rori stated.

Kyle stopped in front of his dorm room and pulled his keys from a pocket. "Ivory Tower, has apartment style living. You'll be sharing a room with me," Kyle said. He opened the door. "Hey you guys, I have a guest."

Rori peeked into the dorm. "It does kind of look like an apartment," she mused as she eyed the small kitchen, spacious living room and a small hall with two bedrooms and a bathroom.

Two men were sitting on a cheap futon couch. They looked over and one smiled and the other nodded. The one that smiled had shaggy blond hair. His blue eyes twinkled in the light. The other man was Chinese and had long black hair tied in a ponytail and dark brown eyes.

The blond stood up and walked over. He looked Rori over and nodded in approval. "Kyle doesn't bring girls to the dorm."

Kyle rolled his eyes. "Davis, this is my sister, Rori," Kyle introduced.

"Oh the sister you didn't want to know?" Davis asked. Obviously the two were friends.

"Yeah, that's me," Rori sighed.

"Her dad's out of town and she's feeling a little frightened since someone broke into her house," Kyle lied. "She's just going to stay here with us until her dad gets back from his job. Is that okay?"

"Oh you poor thing," Davis cried. He grabbed Rori's arm and dragged her to the futon. "Well come on inside and we'll get you settled in."

Rori looked back at Kyle. _Gay?_ She mouthed. Kyle grinned, gave her a thumbs up and nodded slowly.

_Big time. _He mouthed back.

Davis sat Rori down on the couch next to the remaining roommate. "Here, let me take your things into Kyle's room," he said taking Rori's blanket and duffel bag from her.

"Kit and Kat need to be fed Kyle," the black haired roommate said.

"Have they been meowing long?" Kyle asked looking at the Asian. "Rori meet Jared To and Davis Becker."

Rori held out a hand to Jared. "I hear you like smart girls," she grinned as she held out her hand.

Kyle shook his head as Jared stared at Rori awkwardly. He entered his rom and came out a minute later with two small meowing kittens. They were two small Siamese. Rori turned around and smiled. "They're so cute!" she squealed.

"I found them discarded in the trash a couple weeks ago. They're newborns, so I have to feed them with a bottle."

Rori's face lit up even more then she thought possible. "Can I feed one?"

Kyle paused and looked around the apartment before shrugging. "Sure," he walked over to Rori and handed her both of the kittens. "Let me get the towels and milk."

Rori picked up one of the kittens and nuzzled it slowly. "You're so cute! I can't believe it. It's like when I got my puppies at graduation."

0o0o0o0

Dave stormed into the BAU seething. He had just found out that their New York Unsub was Rori's stalker. At first they couldn't be sure, but the photos of the victims weren't copies of the crime scene photos. They were personal photos. Probably taken with disposable camera.

The rest of the BAU followed him as he made his way to Garcia's office.

"You let her leave?" he barked, startling Garcia as she held a cappuccino.

"Oh and I suppose you would have had more luck keep our free bird Rori looked up in the Academy," Garcia retorted as she wiped the coffee off of her shirt. "Relax, she's staying locked up in Kyle's dorm while we find this freak."

"She's staying in a dorm!" Rossi yelled.

Morgan laughed. "Relax, she's in better hands surrounded by people her own age then locked up here with an agent watching every move she makes. She doesn't need two stalkers."

Dave's eyes widened. "Do you know what happens in dorms?" he asked.

Dave's phones beeped and he found a picture message from Rori. He opened the file and smiled when he saw Rori bottle feeding a small Siamese kitten. The message that had arrived with the photo read _Don't worry, we covered all the windows, the gay roommate went out and got ice cream, and the other one is teaching me the basics of Halo. And look Kyle has kitty cats._

Morgan looked at the photo. "That's charming," he grinned. "See, she'll be fine."

Rossi grunted before making his way to the conference room. Garcia had Anderson set everything up while she worked on trying to put a face to Senor Stalker.

Rossi stared at the photos before him. Was it possible that Rori would be next? He couldn't lose her. She was a part of his life now. Her phone calls, smiles, jokes had taken a place in his heart and they would stay there. No one was going to threaten that.

Hotch came in. "We'll find the Unsub. Then Rori can come home."

"What am I supposed to do until then?" Rossi asked. "The house is so quiet when she's not there. She always greets me in the morning. Hotch, I didn't realize how close we had become until something threatened that. Since she started finding other places to stay, I can't help but feel that we're losing what little time we do have together. I want nothing more than to put this creep behind bars."

Hotch placed a hand on Dave's shoulder. "Rori's going to be at the soccer game tomorrow. The rest of the team will be there to watch for the Unsub. Besides, the kids need their juice girl," Hotch smiled.

Rossi nodded. Rori enjoyed helping Jack and his teammates with kicks while supplying them with little cups of watered down apple juice and little towels to wipe their faces off.

"Will this work?" Rossi asked.

"Depends on how close the Unsub wants to get to Rori," Morgan said as he walked in. Reid, Seaver, and Garcia came in too.

"It's possible that Rori's stalker had grown more comfortable, and he might open himself up more," Reid said. "If that's the case, we'll be able to catch him."

"Hopefully before he's brave enough to approach Rori," Seaver added the only thing that nobody wanted to hear. But it had to be said.

Dave fell into a chair and looked at the board. There had to be something that connected Rori and these victims. They just had to figure it out.

"Let's start the profile," Hotch stated.

0o0o0o0

Calculating eyes watched the object of their affection closely. It wasn't like he didn't want to talk to her. He did. Her friends were around her and he couldn't talk to her if there were around. They were around her all the time now. The new guy was by her side the minute she was out of class for the day. He watched as the two of them rode off to George Washington University on his motorcycle.

He almost got caught by her father and his team. He watched Natsuko while she and the newcomer handed out little juice boxes to children. That's when he found out the newcomer was Natsuko's brother.

This weekend, things would fall into place. He'd eliminated the fakes in New York and a few in D.C, but everything would come to an end this weekend.

He looked up at the window and found Natsuko staring up at the cloudless sky. Her brother came to the window and pulled her back before dropping the blinds.

"Soon Natsuko. Soon."

0o0o0o0

Author's Note: Well it looks like the story is approaching its climax. The next couple chapters are going to be a lot of fun to read, and it will be even more fun to write. There's not much to say here, except that I only have a couple weeks more of my first year of college and all is well… If I can make it past finals, then I will truly be set.

Drop me a review and we'll see how fast I can get the next chapter out for you folks.

Shane


	18. Chapter 18

Author: Ren Kayashima

Genre: Family/ Mystery

Rating: T

Disclaimer: Alas my top secret mission to steal the rights to Criminal Minds failed. At the last minute my repel line broke and I was arrested for trespassing on ABC ground. If you would like to help me with bail money…

_**Shout Outs: Most reviews for a chapter!**_

_**Dyallon:**__** You're always the first to review… I like it! I'm so glad you like the series. **_

_**Booksandmusic97: **__** You are not terrible. You're just busy. Thank you for reviewing though. I'm glad you like Kyle and his roommates and all of the past chapters.**_

_**Kimd33: **__**Yup, that's daddy Dave! Overprotective when it comes to his baby girl.**_

_**Hxchick:**__** I looked at it this way… Dave's dealt with stalkers and serial killers. He hasn't dealt with college age boys… Please tell me that you were telling the truth about this year being the toughest, because honestly, this year was pretty easy.**_

_**P95000:**__** Thank you for your review. I imagined Rori feeding the kitten to be a total "AHHHHH" moment. It was just that cute.**_

_**Sexysnake:**__** Look! This is how they deal with it… At least a part of it. Also, the JAWS theme was kind of playing in my head too.**_

_**Natsumi Wakabe: **__***Rolls on the floor laughing at the orange juice being spit out of your mouth* Making a big impression is my specialty. You know this. And Bite Me! Rushed or not, this is still epic… I LOVE YOU! And don't you forget it.**_

0o0o0o0

Chapter Eighteen:

Rori fell tiredly onto the second mattress in Kyle's bedroom. The pillow bounced slight and Rori heard a small mew from one of the kittens. Rori smiled and lifted her head up a bit. "Hey there little one," she cooed as she reached over to pick the small Siamese up. She pulled the kitten close and began stroking its head lightly. "I bet the pups would love to play with you. Mudgie too. They love cats."

Kyle came into the bedroom and dropped his helmet on his desk. "Nap time?" he asked. It had taken him a week, but he had finally figured out Rori's schedule. Immediately after classes she took a half hour long nap, and when she woke up, she started on her homework.

"Wake me up in a half hour," Rori said as she pulled her blanket over her and the kitten. Kyle looked around for the second cat and found it asleep on his pillow.

Kyle started to work on his homework. Davis came to his door ten minutes later. "Rori's not staying here because her dad is out of town. Is she?"

"How did you know?" Kyle asked as he dropped his pen.

"We've been friend since high school, I know when you're lying," Davis stated. "Plus, I saw her dad at a crime scene earlier today."

"She has a stalker, and he's killing women. Rori's tried staying other places."

"Are we in Danger?"

"No," Kyle shook his head. Rori had been spreading the news that she was staying with Alice in her dorm room. Alice and her roommates had vacated the dorm to stay at the Kayashima's while the BAU tried to figure out who was killing young women.

"I'm going to make dinner in an hour. Spaghetti sound good?"

Kyle nodded. "Thank you. I shouldn't have lied, but Rori didn't want to bring in more people unless absolutely necessary."

"I've been telling you to find her for three years. I was with you when you got your letter from your biological mother. And now your little sister is sleeping in the bed next to yours as if you had known her your whole life," Davis smiled as he looked at Rori's relaxed features. "I think it's a good idea to get to know her. Even if there is a crazy stalker after her."

Later that evening, Kyle watched Rori make her nightly call to her father. "Any news?" Rori asked.

Kyle listened carefully, abandoning his studying for something much more important. He watched as Rori's face became contorted in confusion. Rori reached forward to run a finger over one of the kitten's backs. The small feline arched its back as her finger grazed the spine. "So, I can't come home yet?"

Kyle frowned. She couldn't stay in the dorm forever. Their RA almost found out Rori was staying in the dorm, but Davis came up with a clever lie about her being a tutor. Leave it to the actor to come up with a convincing story.

"No, Kyle's coming with me to the convention tomorrow," Rori stated. "Now that you trust him a bit more, I can do stuff with Kyle."

Kyle smiled as he twirled his pencil in between two fingers. He was taking Rori to a D.C anime convention for a panel she was participating in. He would have access to everything without having to pay the outrageous fees to get in.

"Yes, I promise to stay with either Kyle or one of the twins," Rori stated tiredly. "Yes, I did my homework."

Kyle's smile grew ever so slightly. From what Rori had told him, she and her dad had a rare unbreakable bond. Even if they had only know each other for a short time. Rori hadn't seen her dad in a week and so far, Kyle knew that it upset her to be away from her dad. He knew what she was feeling. He missed his parents every day, and a part of him missed the mom he never got to meet.

"I love you too dad," Rori said sadly before hanging up.

Kyle stood up and moved over to Rori's bed. He sat down as she dropped her phone onto the mattress. Kyle picked up one of the kittens and placed it on his lap as Rori reached over to pet it. "You okay?" Kyle asked.

"I miss my dad," Rori said. "But I can't see him because then my stalker might follow me here and start leaving me gifts again."

"Your dad is the great David Rossi," Kyle grinned. "He'll find your stalker and put him behind bars."

"I'm sorry Kyle," Rori whispered. "I didn't mean to get you involved in all of this. I should just find somewhere else to stay.

Kyle shook his head. "I like having you around. It changes things up. Even when your dad gets your stalker, I'd still like to see you over the summer."

"Well I'm going to be gone for the month of July," Rori said. "But I suppose I could drag you along with me. That is, if you're looking for a little more adventure in your life."

"Where are you going?" Kyle asked.

"California. There's something I promised I would do," Rori said vaguely.

"Care to elaborate?" Kyle asked.

Rori shook her head. "Not yet. I'm going to bed. We have to leave for the convention at ten, so don't stay up too late."

Rori bent over and gave Kyle a tight hug. She buried her face in his chest as she squeezed him. Kyle smiled and wrapped his arms around her. "Good night Rori."

0o0o0o0

Garcia was not a happy camper. She and Kevin had been enjoying a post-coital cat nap when Senor Stalker killed another girl. Five straight days of database searches had yet to yield any information that would lead Penelope to discovering the sick stalkers identity.

So once again, she was holed up in her lair hoping that something would show up. On a Saturday no less. But hey, evil didn't stop five o'clock Friday evening and start up again come nine Monday morning.

While Morgan and Seaver were at the crime scene, Rossi and Hotch were talking to the victim's parents, and Reid was up in the conference room trying to pin some sort of area to look at. The stalker had to be staying somewhere, and Reid would be the one to figure it out.

Several pictures flashed onto one of Garcia's many computer screens. Garcia's eyes widened when she realized what she was staring at. She had just found the Holy Grail when it came to this case. It hadn't been easy either. She quickly dialed Hotch's number.

"Yeah Garcia," Hotch spoke quietly. She figured he was in the room with the victim's parents, but she didn't know for sure.

"Are you with the victim's parents?" Garcia asked.

"Yes," Hotch answered.

"Did their daughter ever go to an anime convention?" Garcia questioned.

"Hold on," Hotch said.

Garcia tapped her pen nervously as she listened to a muffled conversation take place on the other end of the phone.

"She went to her first one last year," Hotch said when he came back on the line. "She was signed up to go to this year's too."

"I've figured it out. I know how the victims are connected to Rori," Garcia said quickly. "How fast can you get back to the BAU?"

"Thirty minutes with the sirens," Hotch answered. He could tell that Garcia's information was extremely important, but it wasn't easy to explain over the phone.

"Then blare those sirens. You need to see this," Garcia stated firmly.

The great and powerful Penelope Garcia had spoken and with a click, Garcia knew that Hotch and Rossi were on their way back to the academy.

0o0o0o0

Rossi and Hotch entered the BAU conference room to find Garcia standing next to the TV screen. Her hands were on her hips, and she was tapping her foot impatiently.

Before the oldest agents had a chance to sit down Garcia started.

"I'm not going to say this twice, so pay attention," Garcia said quickly. She clicked her remote and six photos of large groups showed up on the screen. Several people were dressed up in the same outfits.

"Anime conventions will often times gatherings for specific shows or graphic novels. Last year these were the _Dark Truths_ gatherings in New York and in D.C," Garcia explained. She was well versed in conventions…

She clicked her remote and the photos zoomed in on all of the victims dressed in the same outfit of a simple cotton black dress and a white doctor's coat. They had their hair slightly curled, and wore a pair of large black glasses. Knee high lace up boots completed the look.

"Want to take a guess as to who they're dressed up as?" Garcia asked.

"Natsuko," Rossi said. He had watched Rori change into that same outfit multiple times before when she went to past conventions. She liked to dress up as the character she voiced. "The character that Rori voices on _Dark Truths."_

"Bingo," Garcia popped.

"He's killing fake Natsukos?" Morgan asked slightly confused.

"Wait," Seaver began. "Does that mean he'll end up trying to kill Rori? She's not Natsuko either, only her voice."

"I'm not the profiler," Garcia said. "That's something you need to figure out. But if he thinks that Rori is Natsuko, she and Kyle are in a lot of trouble."

"What do you mean?" Hotch asked. How could this possibly get worse?

"In _Dark Truths_, Natsuko's older brother, Satoshi, is killed by the serial killer Sorrow, and he kidnaps Natsuko," Reid stated. He had familiarized himself with the entire show only a couple minutes ago with the printed out plot summaries Garcia gave him.

"How does the series end," Rossi asked. Rori had been nagging him to read up on it, but he didn't have time.

"Hiroshi, Natsuko's boyfriend, and her dad come rushing in to save the day, but not before Sorrow has a chance to poison Natsuko," Garcia explained.

Rossi stood up quickly. "Does she live?" Rossi asked as fear took hold of his emotions.

"Barely," Reid said quietly.

0o0o0o0

Kyle was walking along side Rori as she looked at the merchandise of the Dealers hall. He was surrounded by people dressed up in bathing suits, poufy dresses, kimonos. Some people carried wooden weapons with them. His phone began to ring and he pulled it out of his pocket to see 'Agent Rossi' displayed on the screen. Rori was one of the people dressed up. She was the character she voice in an anime that Kyle was only vaguely familiar with.

He reached out and pulled Rori close to him as he answered the phone. "Hello?"

"Rori's with you?" Dave asked.

"Yes," Kyle said. Rori's dad sounded stressed out.

"Stay in a public place. We're coming to pick you up."

"What's wrong?" Kyle asked as he looked at Rori's confused face.

"The UnSub thinks Rori's Natsuko," Dave said.

"Kyle, I need to head to my panel," Rori said. She grabbed his wrist and stared dragging him out of the Dealers hall. Kyle pulled her close once more.

"We'll be there in ten minutes," Dave said. "Stay in the public's eye, but don't tell Rori what's going on. She'll end up doing something stupid. I just know she will."

"Kyle, I need to get to the panel," Rori said as she pushed herself away from Kyle.

"Rori!" Kyle shouted as Rori made her way through the scores of costumed people. Kyle hung up his phone and tried to catch up with her.

He watched as Rori entered a 'Staff Only' marked door. He pushed past another group of people waiting to take their seats in the panel room. Kyle ran up to the door and showed the guard his badge before wrenching the door open.

He looked around the blank empty hall. "Rori?" he called. Suddenly it was very quiet, and wondered if someone would hear a scream if they were on the other side of the door.

"Over here," Rori's voice came through an open door.

Kyle ran over to the door, not even processing the fear that was in her voice. He stopped dead in his tracks and the blood drained from his face as he stared at the barrel of a gun.

The man holding the gun wore a black bird mask and held Rori to his chest. His free arm was wrapped around Rori's neck tightly as she tried to wiggle free.

"Please, Satoshi, come in," the man said.

0o0o0o0

Author's Note: Wow. I'm evil. Quite evil it seems. I can't believe I left it off there. I guess you'll just have to wait and see what happens. Right?

It looks like the story will be winding down soon. I guess that's just the way it works, but have no fear another story is just around the corner. It's a lot of fun to write the series and as some of you know, I don't really know when the series will end. I hope you all will stick with it because I really love this series.

Drop me a review letting me know what you thought of this chapter. It's longer than normal so there's a lot to comment on.

Shane


	19. Chapter 19

Author: Ren Kayashima

Genre: Family/ Mystery

Rating: T

Disclaimer: Alas my top secret mission to steal the rights to Criminal Minds failed. At the last minute my repel line broke and I was arrested for trespassing on ABC ground. If you would like to help me with bail money…

_**Shout Outs: **__**Dyallon: **__**Thank you for your review. I'm glad that you liked the Garcia part.**_

_**Kimd33:**__** I hope you enjoy this next part. It should leave you wanting more.**_

_**Hxchick: **_ _**This part might be a little mean too... I'm glad you liked the last chapter. I have some things planned out for the next story, so it'll be cool.**_

_**P95000:**__** This chapter is going to have some serious father daughter moments at the end. I hope you enjoy.**_

_**Sexysnake: **__** You might wonder where the rest of this is too… Sorry in advance.**_

0o0o0o0

Chapter Nineteen:

"Kyle?" Dave asked as he pulled his phone away from his ear. "He hung up on me."

"We're still fifteen minutes away," Hotch said. "Why did you tell them we were ten minutes out?"

"Ten minutes isn't as long," Dave said. He looked out the window. "I don't like this. Maybe I should tell Rori what's going on."

"Her panel starts in five minutes. You don't need to worry her," Hotch said looking at the dashboard clock. "She'll be fine."

Dave swallowed back his fear, but it wouldn't go away. The whole idea of a delusional serial killer after his daughter was enough to make his blood run cold.

The team had taken precautions. D.C police was already at the convention center. The building was on lock down until the FBI arrived. There was a definite possibility that Rori's stalker was there.

"What are you thinking about?" Hotch asked.

"Rori was going to dress as Natsuko today," Dave said quietly. "I'm just really hoping she decided to dress in her normal jeans and a t-shirt. We don't need to provoke this Unsub, and Rori dressed up as Natsuko would do just that."

"Why does Natsuko wear a doctor's coat?" Hotch asked.

"It belongs to her mother," Dave answered. "In the series, Natsuko's father is a police detective, and her mother is a surgeon in the United States. She wears the coat as a way of keeping her mother close."

"Rori's smart," Hotch said. "She knows how to get out of a bind."

0o0o0o0

Kyle stared at the gun and put his hands up. As he moved into the room, he kept his eyes on Rori. Her eyes were wide in fright as she tried to pull the gunman's arm away from her neck. Her long piano playing fingers were starching futilely at his arm.

"Close the door Satoshi," the masked man said as he kept the gun skillfully trained on Kyle's head.

Kyle turned around and closed the door slowly. This was bad. Somehow he knew that this wouldn't end well, and Rori knew it too.

"Lock it."

Kyle reached out and locked the door. As he was facing away from Rori and their gunman, he heard someone grunt. Quick footsteps came from behind him.

Kyle turned around quickly as Rori launched herself at him. She hugged him tightly as he backed up into a corner. Kyle wrapped his arms around her and held her close. "Why did he call me Satoshi?" he whispered as Rori buried her face in his chest.

"He thinks I'm Natsuko from _Dark Truths_. Satoshi is her older brother," Rori whispered. "Oh my god, my stalker thinks he's Sorrow!" she said quietly.

"How bad is that?" Kyle asked.

"Most certainly bad," Rori whispered harshly.

'Sorrow' laughed and straightened up. He looked at the two of them as Rori hid her face from him. "Natsuko, you sure do have some spunk."

Rori looked at Kyle. "Play along," she said quickly.

"What?" Kyle asked as his eyes widened. Play along to what? Some evil serial killers sick fantasy. No way was Kyle going to 'play along'. "Why?"

"He's obviously delusional. Dad told me that sometimes breaking the delusion can cause an even greater violent outburst."

"He's under the delusion that he's a serial killer," Kyle said. "How can breaking that delusion be a bad thing?"

"What are you whispering about?" Sorrow asked as he tiled his head to the side.

Kyle moved Rori behind him. Why his big brother instincts had decided that now would be the time to kick in was beyond him, but he didn't want Rori to get hurt.

The three of them were locked in a green room of sorts. There were a couple couches set up. Some dressing stations and a couple vanities for makeup. Over all the room was very bland.

Sorrow made a bowing motion and gestured to a couch. "Why don't you sit down? I'd like to talk with you Natsuko. We need to make a plan to get Hiroshi rushing in to save the day."

Kyle kept himself in front of Rori as they moved to a tan couch. He sat down carefully and pulled Rori down with him.

"Why are you doing this?" Rori asked as she pulled her arm out of Kyle's grasp.

"Natsuko, you're smart," Sorrow said as he began pacing in front of the siblings. "Those women, they wanted to be you, but no one can be you."

"They were college students," Rori said. "They had futures. You didn't have to kill them."

"Natsuko, people shouldn't pretend to be someone else," Sorrow said as if he was scolding a small child.

Rori stood up and stamped her foot on the ground. "And I suppose you would know all about that too?" she asked angrily. Her arms were stiff and her fists were balled tightly.

Sorrow stopped walking and looked at Rori curiously. His black eyes shone slightly behind the mask. "I'm not sure I know what you mean."

"The great Sorrow!" Rori yelled mockingly as she threw her hands up in the air. "The most fear serial killer in all of Tokyo. But then there's the man behind that stupid bird mask that you wear. He's nothing but weak coward hiding behind another man's identity! Tell me; could you kill more women if you didn't have the mask?"

"Natsuko, I'm stunned," Sorrow spoke as if he had been hurt. "You've never been so verbal. You're normally so… complacent."

"You killed ten women!" Rori shouted.

Sorrow aimed his gun at Rori. "It's about to be eleven. Now please, sit back down."

Kyle jumped forward and pushed Sorrow across the room. "Kyle!" Rori screamed as she watched him wrestle with Sorrow.

0o0o0o0

Dave was standing in what he could only call hell. Teenagers, children, and even grown men were running around in brightly colored wigs and outfits. They all held cameras and make shift card board weapons.

Morgan walked up. "Rori never showed up for her panel. The twins are there and two other voice actors that were scheduled, but Rori and Kyle never arrived."

Dave got a bad feeling once more. He looked around and headed for a flight of stairs. He couldn't just stand around. He had to at least try and find his daughter. If he didn't try, was there any point in calling himself a father?

He stopped and looked around. Hotch and Morgan quickly caught up to the senior agent, only to have him dart off towards a 'Staff Only' entrance. Somehow it just felt right.

0o0o0o0

Rori moved away from the struggle and backed up into a corner. In hindsight, it probably wasn't the best possible move she could have made. She was more worried about getting away from the gun.

After the shot went off, things got quiet as Kyle backed away from Sorrow. Kyle put a hand to his side. It looked like the bullet had only grazed him.

"Kyle," Rori stated as she put a hand on her abdomen. "I don't feel so good."

Kyle ran over to his sister as she slid down the wall. "Rori, can you hear me?" he asked quickly.

Sorrow smirked under his mask and lifted his gun. The siblings were just sitting there. He would be able to kill them both so easily.

The green room door was kicked open and Sorrow whipped around ready to shoot the intruders, but Derek Morgan was faster. Three shots echoed in the room as Kyle moved over Rori protectively. Sorrow fell back as Rossi made his way into the room. It took him a moment to register that Kyle was covering Rori.

"Rori, your dad's here," Kyle said as he pulled a bloody hand away from her abdomen.

"Don't tell him I got shot," Rori whined. "I'll never hear the end of it."

Rossi rushed over and crouched down. "What happened?" he asked.

Rori closed her eyes. "Oh, wow, this hurts," she grunted.

"The bullet only grazed me," Kyle said. "Rori must have been right in the path of the bullet."

Rossi looked at Morgan and Hotch. "Call an ambulance," he shouted. He turned his attention back to his daughter as he tried to figure out what to do. Kyle was already putting pressure on Rori's wound and Rori was busy trying to keep herself conscious.

"Dad, I'm sorry," Rori said quietly as she bit her lip to keep herself from crying out in pain.

"Sorry about what honey?" Dave asked trying to calm his shaking hands down. He took one of Rori's hands.

"You know that antique duck decoy you kept on the mantle?" she asked as she moved her hand slightly so that she could hold his. She squeezed it tightly as Kyle pushed on her wound.

"The one that the puppies broke when you first moved in?" Dave asked. Why was she bringing up a stupid antique? It was kind of ugly to begin with.

"Yeah. They didn't break it," Rori gasped as Kyle pushed harder on her abdomen once more. "I was mad because of something that Kenta had said, and I threw my keys. They knocked it off the mantle and it broke."

Dave stared at her and smiled. "I'm not worried about that right now. WE need to get you to the hospital."

"I'll buy you a new one," Rori said as Dave pushed her hair behind her ears. Rori bent her head to allow him better access to her ear. "I promise."

"Rori, don't worry about the duck," Dave laughed.

"But it was expensive."

"I know it was. Just don't worry about it." Dave looked at Hotch who was looking out the door at Morgan. "Is he calling an ambulance?"

Rori shook her head weakly. "I don't like hospitals. Dad, please don't make me go to the hospital."

0o0o0o0

Author's Note: How about them apples? I have literally been planning this chapter for a good two months… But it didn't have Rori's brother in it. Now it does. I guess y'all have to wait until the next chapter to see what happens to Rori… Sorry!

Drop me a review and I will be happy to start writing the next part for all of you. School's winding down so it should be a lot easier for me to get some writing done.

Shane


	20. Chapter 20

Author: Ren Kayashima

Genre: Family/ Mystery

Rating: T

Disclaimer: Alas my top secret mission to steal the rights to Criminal Minds failed. At the last minute my repel line broke and I was arrested for trespassing on ABC ground. If you would like to help me with bail money…

_**Shout Outs: **__**Dyallon**__**: Thank you for not hating me because of a cliffhanger. Now I hope you enjoy this part. **_

_**Kimd33:**_** I know… Everyone hates cliffhangers, but I didn't want a really long chapter. **

**Hxchick****: I'm always mean with cliffhangers… It's the only way I keep you guys reading. Rori's confession was supposed to be about her and Kenta having sex, but the Duck part was too good to pass up.**

**Booksandmusic97:**** Father/daughter moments are the best! I can't believe some of the stuff I come up for Dave and Rori. **

**Sexysnake: **** I can't always keep it nice and sweet. There has to be things that bring the father and daughter duo together… We'll see what happens in this chapter.**

**Enjoy everyone.**

0o0o0o0

Chapter Twenty

_Dave turned over in his bed and started at his wife. She was looking at the ceiling, and the contemplative frown on her face told Dave that she was deep in thought. "Chris?" he asked. "What's going on in that mind of yours?" he asked as he made himself comfortable once more._

_Dave and Christine hadn't been married long, and this could still be considered the honeymoon phase of the marriage. They were in a new house, a new part of town, and together, they had started a new chapter in their lives. _

"_Do you want children Dave?" Christine asked. How the two of them hadn't spoken about this before was beyond the lawyer, but it was something that did needed to be discussed._

"_I'm Italian. My parents expect certain things of me," Dave laughed._

_Christine turned on her side so that she was staring at the one man she loved with all her heart. Sure their relationship had started off bumpy, and she didn't think anything would come of that unfortunate day in the coffee shop. "I'm serious Dave," she sighed as she nuzzled her face into her pillow. She started at him through the hair that had fallen in front of her face. _

_Dave reached out and pushed Christine's long black locks out of her face before place a comforting hand on Christine's cheek. "My job is hectic, but I like the idea of having a baby with you. If it's a boy, we could name him Anthony. Give him a strong Italian name."_

_Christine laughed. Dave's Italian heritage was the butt of many jokes in their house. It was something that eased the tension after a hard day at work. With David off chasing serial killers, and Christine fighting in the courts for the big wig companies who refused to admit responsibility, the house was a place of laughter and good times._

"_How about Rory for a girl? But we'll spell it with an 'I' at the end. You know instead of a 'Y'," Christine suggested. "If we have a boy, we'll give him an Italian name in honor of your heritage, but the girls have to have an English name."_

"_Whatever you say," Dave grinned. "But I thought boys were named Rori."_

Dave woke up in a hospital waiting room. Hotch had shaken the senior agent awake. After waiting for a couple hours, it appeared that Rori was no longer in surgery. A young doctor stood in front of the anxious BAU members. His face was worn from exhaustion, but Dave couldn't tell if the doctor had good news, or bad.

"Agent Rossi, your daughter is very lucky," the doctor smiled.

Dave let out the breath that he had been holding. "How bad was it?"

"The bullet didn't enter the abdomen too much," the doctor explained. "I suspect that when the bullet grazed Mr. Bishop's side it slowed down. The bullet managed to hit a non-lethal part of the body too. An inch over to the right and it would have hit the liver."

"Can I see her?" Dave asked.

"She'll be under sedation for a couple hours, but I expect that Rori will be able to leave the hospital in a week," the doctor added as Dave stood up.

"Rori has finals this week," Reid stated. He had been helping her study for them for the past month and he didn't want to see her miss them. "How is she supposed to take them?"

There was a pause in the room. Everyone knew that Rori was working hard to stay at the top of her class. She was behind back in February after she missed an entire week of school. The BAU family worked on catching her up on all of her classes by helping her with one giant cram session over the weekend, but that couldn't happen now. They didn't have time.

"I'm sure her Professors would understand," Morgan said. There had to be some sort of exemption for students who were in the hospital. If not, Rori would find a way to sneak out of the hospital, which could be bad for her health.

"I'll take you to see her Agent Rossi," the doctor smiled changing the topic.

When Rossi entered Rori's hospital room, he found Kyle sitting in of the chair beside her bed. He was shirtless, and Dave was able to see the bandage that covered Kyle's side. The slow beep from the heart rate monitor appeared to be the only sound in the room.

Rori was sound asleep and the fact that there wasn't anything sticking out of her was enough to put Dave temporarily at ease. He knew from experience that some wounds to the abdomen could lead to an inability to breath. His daughter's hair needed a good brush, and maybe a wash later on, but that could happen later.

"Are you going to be okay?" Dave asked Kyle as he took the seat beside him.

Kyle nodded. It was a flesh wound. He'd be fine. "A few stiches. They said that hitting me slowed the bullet down. They said that Rori's abdomen could have been in worse shape."

Dave nodded. "I can't go six months without her being put in the hospital. What kind of father am I?" he shook his head. "Last time she was asleep for two and a half days."

"What happened?" Kyle asked. He wasn't aware that Rori had ever been to the hospital. She didn't talk about that stuff. Just her time in California, and some of the things she had done since she moved to D.C almost three years ago.

"She almost drowned on her eighteenth birthday, and ended up with a concussion. The time before that she was abducted and kept for two weeks by one of your mother's murderers."

"Murderers?" Kyle asked. His biological mother died in a car accident.

"Giles never told you?" Dave asked. Giles knew truth behind Christine's death. It couldn't be ignored when Rori had been kidnapped. They couldn't avoid it before that too. Rori was bound to remember what happened to her mom and what happened in Scotland. If you dug into your memories, you were almost certain to remember something. So why hadn't Kyle been told about Christine's murder.

"My mom was murdered?" Kyle asked in confusion.

Dave looked at Rori. "She and Rori were on vacation in Scotland when they were kidnapped by a pair of serial killers. Rori escaped, as she has a tendency to do sometimes, but Chris didn't."

"But everything I read said that Christine Morre died in a car accident," Kyle said. What happened to publishing the truth?

"That was Scottish Territorial Police trying not to give credit to the killers," Dave said. If the BAU had been brought in on the case all those years ago, it was possible that wouldn't have happened.

Kyle looked at Rori. "Did they hurt Rori?"

"The only person who knows what happened is Rori. She wrote all of her memories down in some sort of code, that Reid was able to translate, but it's still fuzzy what happened. She doesn't like to talk about it, and she chose to move on."

Kyle stood up. Suddenly the room felt stuffy and cramped. He couldn't stay here. "I'm going for a walk."

Dave looked at Kyle and tried to console him. "I thought Giles would be the one to tell you about Chris's death. I shouldn't have been the one to tell you, and Rori wasn't going to."

"I need to think," Kyle said. Actually, he just wanted to get away from everyone else.

Dave let Kyle leave with a sigh. He had to stay with Rori anyway. Dave relaxed in the seat and thought about Christine.

"_Chris!" Dave shouted in the middle of a large, busy, airport. He had just gotten back from a case in California, and Christine was picking him up._

_Christine ran over to her husband and wrapped her long arms around his neck. "Aaron said that you had been shot," she stated as she began to look him over. _

"_It wasn't that big of a deal," Dave smiled as he leaned forward to steal a kiss from Christine._

_She reached up and put a hand over his mouth and stared at him sternly. She wasn't very happy. "No," she said. "Not until you explain what happened in Sacramento."_

"_Christine," Dave whined. What was wrong with kissing his wife? "It was a simple fire fight. I got grazed in the arm," he said._

_Christine started to pull his FBI windbreaker off when he pulled her into a tight hug. "Don't you thing we should wait until we get home for you to strip me of my clothes?" he whispered in her ear._

_Christine gave up her attempt to examine her husband's arm and hugged him tightly. She didn't want to let go. "You have a wicked mind David Rossi," she spoke into his chest._

"_But that's why you loved me enough to marry me."_

Dave smiled at the simple memory. Looking back, that had to be the night Rori was conceived. Just after that, Dave started a new book tour, and kept getting high profile cases. Christine left him two months later and moved to California. Dave relaxed in his seat and waited for his daughter to wake up.

Rori woke up two hours later. She tried pushing herself up, but her side erupted in a sharp pain. "Ow!" she whispered harshly. She moved a hand to touch her bandaged abdomen.

Dave jolted out of his light sleep. "Rori?" he asked as he blinked to clear his blurry vision.

"What happened?" she asked as she fell back onto the mattress.

"You were shot," Dave said standing up and walking the two steps to her bed side.

"No shit," Rori grunted. She had figured that much out. "I mean what happened to Sorrow. Who was he?" She turned her head to get a better look at her dad's tired features.

"Garcia set her computer to run facial recognition on all of her databases, but it hasn't turned up anything yet."

Rori blew her bangs out of her face and let of a yawn. "Is Kyle okay?" Rori asked. It was time to move onto to more important matters. Like the safety of her brother.

"He went for a walk a couple hours ago," Dave said as he began adjusting the bed so that Rori was propped up a little more. "Can I get you anything?"

"Can I go home?" Rori asked hopefully. She really hated hospitals. Ever since she woke up in a Scottish hospital to find Kate in the chair next to her and her mother missing, hospitals scared her, and she didn't like reliving that memory.

"They want to keep you here for a week," Dave said. He knew Rori wouldn't like it.

"Like hell!" she shouted suddenly. "I've got finals."

"Rori, you were shot," Dave stated matter of factly. "That requires a level of recovery."

"Did it hit a vital organ?" Rori asked.

"No," Dave sighed. This was going to take a turn that he didn't want it to. "But they still want to make sure that you're okay."

"I'm fine, get me the hell out of this stupid place," Rori growled.

Dave sighed. He wasn't going to win this argument, but a doctor might. "Let me talk to the doctor. If he says that it's okay to leave, then I check you out tomorrow morning."

Rori crossed her arms. "I'm eighteen, so I'll check myself out if I have to. You have until twelve tomorrow to get me out of this place, or I'll take matters into my own hands," Rori stated with a raised eyebrow.

Dave laughed. "I'm glad to see you still your spunk. Even with a hole in your abdomen."

"Damn skippy."

Dave let out a hearty laugh and pushed Rori's hair to the side. "Are you okay?" he asked.

Rori grinned. "I'm great." She wasn't, but that wouldn't put her dad's mind at ease. He wouldn't be happy until she was home once more with him and the dogs.

0o0o0o0

Author's Note: AHHHH! The story is coming to its close and I don't know what to do! No worries, there are still a couple more chapters to wrap everything up. This story is almost as long as The Death Card. One chapter to tie with TDC, and we all know that I can't wrap all of this up in one chapter.

Well we've seen Christine again. What did you think about that? This time I wanted to focus on a couple of scenes between her and Dave. After writing Standing Outside the Fire, I had the feeling that some of you guys might want to see a little bit more.

In other news, I've decided that come August I'm going to be going through the Tarot Series and start 'Fixing' them. As many of you all know, I didn't always write like this, and at times it looked like I relied too much on dialogue, and the descriptions were a bit lacking. I want to fix that in the first two stories. Well, more like a story and a half, seeing as I started making the changes to my writing in The Chariot Card. I decided to do this in August because I'll be done with my summer courses, and it will give me a chance to wrap some other projects up.

Finals are this week, so updates are not as likely to occur. Don't worry, I'll still be writing. Just not as much. It's also very unlikely that things will be updated until Friday. Then again the anime convention I'm going to is this weekend… This is what happens when friend drag you to crazy people events (not really, I live for crazy).

Drop me a review letting me know what you think and I will see about getting the next chapter out ASAP.

Shane


	21. Chapter 21

Author: Ren Kayashima

Genre: Family/ Mystery

Rating: T

Disclaimer: Alas my top secret mission to steal the rights to Criminal Minds failed. At the last minute my repel line broke and I was arrested for trespassing on ABC ground. If you would like to help me with bail money…

_**Shout Outs: **__**dyallon: **__** Damn those typos… I'm glad you liked this previous chapter, even if I hate writing fillers. **_

_**Kimd33:**__** The flashbacks were a lot of fun to write. I had to look back at some things in The Death Card to refresh my memory though. **_

_**Hxchick:**__** I've never had to put my health before school, but I imagine my HS graduation would take precedence over all else. That was really important to me.**_

_**Sexysnake: **__** I'm totally about to address those issues in this chapter… You read my mind.**_

_**P95000: **__** I still love that you tell me everything you love about the chapter. Thank you for your continued support of this story.**_

0o0o0o0

Chapter Twenty-One:

Rori entered her room tiredly. As she dragged her feet over to her bed she couldn't help but think that staying in the hospital probably wasn't such a bad idea.

The last final of her freshman year had zapped her of any and all physical and mental strength. She had written two essays and answered a two hundred question test on English Literature ranging from the time of Beowulf to the more modern works of George Orwell. With works by Shakespeare, Dickens, Wells, and Swift thrown into the class, Rori wasn't sure what she was supposed to know walking into that lecture hall.

Light peeked through her closed blinds as she dropped her messenger bag on top of her desk. She moved over to her bed and pulled her shirt up to look at the stitched up hole in her abdomen.

It turned out that Sorrow was a young man from California. Rori gave him an autograph two years ago, did a quick voice bit for him, and that was all. He was a former college student, but he dropped out to pursue killing as a career option. Rori would have kept going to college.

Rori looked up when she heard the doorbell ring. She dropped her shirt and slid her bed painfully. She would have to take another pill for the twinge in her stomach.

Apparently she wasn't fast enough for the sudden visitor and they rang the doorbell again.

"Hold your horses!" Rori shouted. "I did get shot a few days ago. I'm not able to move very fast," she groaned and decided that she would kill whoever was on the other side of the door if they didn't stop ringing the damn door.

Rori opened the door to find Kyle holding a vase of flowers. "Hey," he greeted with a small smile.

Rori looked at the ground. Of course it would be him. "Hi," she whispered.

"You're supposed to be in the hospital," Kyle said as if he was chastising a small child.

"Finals," Rori shrugged. She moved out of the way to let her brother in. "Do you want to come in?"

Kyle stepped into the foyer and looked around the Rossi household. "Nice place."

"I guess," Rori shrugged. "Did you finish school too?"

"A couple hours ago, yeah," Kyle grinned. He held out the vase of stargazer lilies. "I'm sorry I didn't come see you."

"Dad said you walked out after you found out our mom was murdered," Rori said sadly as she took them carefully. She didn't look at her brother as she thought about waking up in a hospital with only her dad. "If you aren't going to stick around when everything goes to hell, then why are you here?"

Kyle shook his head. He wasn't going to be the bad guy in this situation. He should have been told. "So I'm not supposed to be angry that everyone lied to me about my biological mother's death?" he asked peeved.

Rori made her way to the kitchen and opened the back door. Her three dogs came running in a0073 she turned and looked at Kyle as she set the vase down in the breakfast nook. "And I'm supposed to just relive possibly the most terrifying that that has ever happened to me?"

"I should have been told," Kyle argued. "She's my mom."

"Dude, you're not the only one who wasn't told," Rori sighed. "I woke up in a Scottish hospital, and Aunt Kate told me that mom had died in a car accident. I didn't ask questions because I didn't remember the entire trip in the Highlands. I thought she was telling the truth. I didn't find out that our mom was murdered until I moved in with my dad over the summer. I was just as shocked as you. Now the memories won't leave me alone."

Rori stared at her older brother through her bangs as she leaned against the kitchen island. She crossed her arms and waited for Kyle to respond. "So you didn't know either?" he asked.

"Isn't that what I just said?" Rori sighed. "When Kate found out that I didn't remember, she lied. She thought it would be the best way to put the situation behind me and move on."

"That's messed up," Kyle snorted.

"Tell me about it," Rori said as Mudgie came over for a pat on the head. She crouched down and hugged the lab as she buried her face in his fur. "You need a bath," she muttered.

Kyle bent down when Zen walked over to him. He held out an open hand as the dog eyed him carefully. Zen licked his fingers before putting her head in the palm of his hand. She looked up at the human with big brown eyes. Kyle couldn't help but smile as he scratched the dog behind the ear. "I thought dogs don't like baths," he said.

"These guys love them. Maybe you're thinking about cats. They always have that funky walk when they've had a bath."

Kyle laughed. "You really like animals don't you?" he asked. He had seen Rori around the kittens and now seeing her interact with her fleet of canine's it was obvious she shared a special bond with them.

Rori looked at him from above Mudgie's head. She hugged the dog closer. "They keep the nightmares away."

"Nightmares?"

"I started having them when I moved in with my dad. Don't tell I still have them. He thinks they stopped back in October."

"What about when you go out of town and the dogs aren't with you. Do your nightmares come back?"

"I sleep with Kenta," Rori said. "Spring Break was bad because I didn't have either. They go away after a couple weeks, but they come back when bad stuff happens. This seems to be happening a lot lately."

"Like this whole Sorrow incident?" Kyle asked.

Rori nodded. She smiled at him. "Changing the subject. Do you want to help me with the dogs? They really do need a bath. Dad likes to wait until the last possible minute to bathe them and I just want to get it out of the way."

Kyle smiled. "I'm never going to run away again Rori. I'll let you know if I need some time," he stated.

Rori grinned. "Okay."

0o0o0o0

Dave had been quiet on the ride back to the BAU. He had been called in early by Hotch, and then they started a race to find a missing undercover agent before she was killed. He didn't get a chance to wish Rori luck on her finals. She was still asleep. The events of today had him thinking about his career at the FBI.

Now that Rori was living with him, there were several instances where he thought about quitting his job and devoting all of his time to being the father that Rori had always wanted. He didn't want his daughter to lose the only parent she had left.

There was a lot to look forward too as a parent. College graduation would come up in a couple years. Rori was sure to get married. He smiled at the thought of Rori being a parent and he himself being a granddad. Rori would be a great mother if her interaction with Jack was any indication.

He had come close to losing all of these possibilities today. He thought for sure that woman would have killed him before anyone else acted. He knew she was connected to the Unsub. Her story didn't make sense. He didn't expect her to have a gun. Morgan was there though. He took the shot that saved David Rossi's life. Then again Morgan did owe him for that 'Give me an excuse to blow your brains out' line that saved the younger agents life.

For all the times that Dave thought about leaving the FBI, leaving the BAU, there were two other times that told him that he needed to stay and continue catching the bad guys.

The newfound prospect of having JJ back pleased Dave more than anything. Their team had faced a lot of discourse this past year, and having the media liaison back would give everyone a feel of normalcy in their stressful work environment. The only way things could be normal again was if Prentiss was alive and back on the team.

As it was reaching four in the morning Dave pulled to a stop in front of his home and let out a long tired sigh. There was a dark Prius parked next to Rori's new car, so he knew someone else was in the house. He was surprised to find the living room light on through the light curtains. Rori was probably trying to wait for him. She had a tendency to pick up on the severity of the case based on his phone calls. If it was bad then she would stay up and wait for him to come home and give him a hug.

He could mentally picture her seated on the couch watching _North by Northwest _or _Bringing up Baby. _ If she had finished those then she was already raiding the Disney collection up in her bedroom for all of her princess movies. She would start with _Snow White _and work her way up to _Tangled. _She never finished a set of Disney Princess films in one sitting. At least not yet. Dave was sure that if he gave it time, a big case would come up and Rori would be forced to watch the princess films and then some other Disney classics.

Dave entered his home and was greeted by his three dogs and the sound of laughter. He moved to the entrance of the living room and watched as Rori and Kyle played an intense card game. Sure enough Aladdin was playing on the big screen TV.

Rori slapped her hand down on the coffee table so hard it echoed in the room. Kyle's fingers and hers were on top of each other and it was hard to tell who had slapped the pile of cards under the two hands.

"It's mine," Rori shouted.

"No, I got there first," Kyle challenged.

"What are you playing?" Dave asked with a slight chuckle.

Rori looked up and moved her hand off the pile of cards. Kyle snatched them up greedily. "Dad!" she cheered. She giggled as she watched her father wince at her loud greeting. "Welcome home. Kyle and I were playing Slap Jack. "

Dave walked into the living room and looked at the table filled with junk food and coffee cup. "Why are you up?" he asked.

"We're waiting for you," Rori smiled. "It was a hard case for you today. Right?"

"Yes, but everything is going to be all right now," Dave said. He thought it best not to mention is near death experience. "Kyle is that your Prius parked next to Rori's Mustang?"

"It's Davis's. He lent it to me so I could bring Rori flowers. My motorcycle doesn't work for that kind of thing," Kyle explained.

Rori stood up and hugged her dad tightly. "I'm glad that everyone is okay. I missed you this morning."

"So, how were your finals?" Dave asked as he hugged her back just as tightly.

"I totally aced them," Rori laughed. "We gave the dogs a bath earlier. They were getting just a tad stinky."

Dave snorted. "You're always giving them baths. I'm surprised they have any fur left."

"That's not true!" Rori exclaimed as she backed away from her father. She put her hands on her hips and looked at him stubbornly. "I only give them a bath every two months."

Dave smiled to himself. He had everything he could ever hope for at the moment. Nothing was going to change that now.

0o0o0o0

Author's Note: One of my longer chapters it looks like. Well, finals are done, Fanime has passed, and I once again have a car instead of a rental. All seems to be going well in my world. Now it seems I'm in a rush to get everything updated and posted. Oh well. I can't have it all. I actually liked writing this chapter a lot because of Rori and Kyle's interaction, but Dave's thoughts about his job were what took the cake.

Let me know what you think by dropping a review my way. You know I want to hear from you, so click the button below and start typing.

Ja ne.

Shane


	22. Chapter 22

Author: Ren Kayashima

Genre: Family/ Mystery

Rating: T

Disclaimer: Alas my top secret mission to steal the rights to Criminal Minds failed. At the last minute my repel line broke and I was arrested for trespassing on ABC ground. If you would like to help me with bail money…

_**Shout Outs: **__**dyallon**__**: I've got to do more scenes that involves Dave's thoughts. This chapter has some of it. **_

_**Kimd33**__**: I know right! I was sitting on my couch going 'Where did the gun come from. Was it in her fricken Doodah?'**_

_**P95000:**__** I love writing scenes with the dogs because I get the chance to make them actual character with the way they interact with people.**_

_**Hxchick**__**: I present to you the next chapter! More Rori and Kyle interaction are in store.**_

_**Booksandmusic97:**__** I think Rori would be one of those cool moms that don't embarrass her kids all that much, and if she does it's on purpose.**_

0o0o0o0

Chapter Twenty-Two:

Dave woke up to Kyle shaking his shoulder. This was the third night that he had stayed over. The guy was staying with Davis and his family, and Dave wondered when Rori would ask Kyle to move in with them. He practically spent most of his time with Rori as she moped around the house talking about the hole in her abdomen.

As Dave's vision came into focus, he could tell something was wrong. Kyle's eyes were wide in worry, and there was urgency in his quiet harsh whisper.

Dave sat up. "What's going on?" he asked as he mentally searched for his gun. He would have to be ready to shoot an intruder.

"It's Rori," Kyle said. "I don't know what to do."

Dave pulled the covers off of him, and got out of his bed. "Where is she?"

"She's in her room."

Dave quickly pushed past Kyle and made his way down the hall. He entered Rori's room and immediately knew what was wrong. All three dogs were standing in various parts of the bedroom. Rori's blankets had been cast aside as Rori thrashed in her bed.

Kyle stood in the doorway as Dave moved over to Rori's bed cautiously. He place a hand on her should and her arm whipped out and tagged him in the shoulder. Dave grunted in pain before looking at Kyle. "I need your help," he said.

Kyle nodded and slowly came into the room. "What do I need to do?"

"I need you to sit on her while I try to wake her up."

"Sit on her?" Kyle shouted. "I've got a good sixty pounds on her."

"I can't wake her up if she's punching me," Dave growled.

Kyle couldn't argue with the agent. Rori's limbs were flying everywhere and it seemed like an impossibility to wake her up in that state. He walked over to the bed. "So I need to sit on her?"

Dave nodded. "Hold her down."

Kyle awkwardly climbed on top of his flailing sister. He struggled for a moment to get a hold of Rori's wrist. Once Rori was successfully pinned to the mattress, Dave carefully placed a hand on Rori's cheek. "Rori, honey, wake up."

Kyle stared at Rori's scrunched up face and he wondered if this had happened before. It seemed like her dad knew how to deal with the situation. Kyle shifted slightly as Rori struggled to get out of his grasp.

"Rori, wake up." Dave stated firmly.

This was met with a yelp as Rori tried to snap up. "Mom!" she screamed. Dave made hushing sounds as Rori began to cry. Kyle slid off of Rori and sat by her side unsure as to what he should be doing. Rori looked at her dad for a moment before she turned on her side. She curled into a small ball and started to shake as she sobbed.

Dave moved her over gently so that he could sit next to her. Rori hugged her dad close and continued to cry.

"Rori, why didn't you tell me that the nightmares came back?" he asked her as he rubbed her back.

"She doesn't want you to worry," Kyle said. "We talked about it last week."

Dave glanced at Kyle before turning his attention back to Rori. "Were you in the room again?" he asked Rori. He was sure that any nightmare involving her mom was a trip back to that Scottish hell hole she spent a week in.

Rori nodded. "Why do they keep coming back?" she asked.

"A lot of stuff has happened. That's bound to stir some things in the brain," Dave said. "I'll stay with you until you fall back asleep."

Kyle made a move to leave when Rori said his name. His brain came to a screeching half and he wasn't sure what to do. This entire night was a new experience.

"Please stay," she whispered.

Kyle smiled. "You've got Papa Dave to hug. I think that I would just be a bed hog," he joked.

"Please?" she asked looking over her shoulder. She didn't want to be alone in her large room.

Kyle started a mental discussion with himself. Was he encroaching on a crucial father daughter moment? Perhaps he should just declining and go back to the guest room. He quietly pondered all options as Rori wiped her tears off her cheeks. She kind of reminded him of this little girl who lived down the street from the house he grew up in.

Rori crawled off the bed and stumbled in her baggy pajama bottoms over to the large TV. "Who wants to watch The Big Bang Theory?" she asked.

"Rori, it's probably best if you just relax," Dave said know that she wouldn't listen to her. But he had to at least make it look like he was trying to be a proper parental figure.

"Demo," Rori said. "Sheldon Cooper is okashii desu."

Dave shook his head as a smirk pulled at his lips. "You're speaking in Japanglish again," he stated as he slid off the bed. If they were going to sit up watching Rori's favorite comedy the he needed to bring in some pillows. Rori would take all four of hers in some form.

As he left the room he heard Rori and Kyle begin talking. "What does 'okashii' mean?" Kyle asked.

There was a slight pause as Rori processed the quick translation. "Funny. 'Demo' is But. 'Desu' is usually applied to the end of a sentence. I don't really remember what it's called."

"So you've been speaking Japanese for a long time?" Kyle asked.

"My psychology notes are in Japanese. It's the only way I keep up my knowledge of the language because dad won't let me go to Hokkaido with the Kayashima's," Rori explained.

Dave entered his room and rubbed the sleep from his worn features. That wasn't like the other nightmares. The other ones had Rori whimpering, but she had never woken up screaming like that. It reminded him of the Galen's and the case that haunted him for twenty years. There was a difference between him and his daughter.

Rori knew who killed her mom only a few weeks after she knew her mother had been murdered. He only hoped that that helped her find closure faster than him. It took him much longer to get closure. Rori had something that had eluded Dave for two decades.

Dave came back to Rori's room to find her sitting in the middle of the bed hugging a giant pink rabbit with small black button eyes and a stitched in mouth. Kyle was missing, but the smell of popcorn that came from downstairs told the senior agent that Rori's brother was making a late night snack.

"You all right?"

Rori grinned. "I'll be fine," she sighed. "I'm sorry I worried you." She buried her face in the stuff animal's head and took a deep breath."

Dave hugged Rori. "I love you," he told her.

"_Wastashi was anata no otousan ga daisuki desu_," Rori babbled as she hugged the stuff animal and leaned into his chest.

"Translation?" Dave asked. He had heard the phrase before. Rori used it when she would bid farewell to Kenta. He was certain that some of the words were the same.

"I love you dad," Rori answered.

Dave smiled and hugged her close and rested his head on top of hers. "So is this show any good?"

"Good?" Rori asked as if she had just been insulted. She pulled away from him and looked him in the eye in what can only be described as mock disappointment. She put a hand to her heart. "How can you now know the greatness that is _The Big Bang Theory_? We're so watching from the beginning!"

Dave relaxed into his spot on the queen sized bed. Rori pulled her wolf blanket over them childishly and smoothed out every wrinkle. Kyle came in a couple minutes later with three large bowls cleverly balanced in his arms. "What episodes are we going to watch?"

"First season," Rori cheered. "Dad hasn't seen the show."

Dave took one of the bowls from Kyle. "Excuse me," he said sarcastically. "I've just been saving the world from serial killers and psychopaths."

Kyle handed Rori the last two bowls before crawling into the corner of the bed. "It's still unforgivable."

"Did you at least watch _Dharma and Greg_?" Rori asked. "Chuck Lorre made that and _Big Bang_."

"Does it look like I watch TV all that often?"

0o0o0o0

Author's Note: An update after almost a week… *Looks at a calendar* Yep a week. I've been struggling with the chapter as a whole because I don't know how well it works. I'm going to wrap this story up in the next chapter and will be starting work on the next Tarot installment.

_**Important News: 1.)**_ The month of August is going to be full of changes. I'm going back and working on editing and rewriting _The Death Card_ so that the material is more like what I'm posting at the moment. So I'll be keeping people posted on that as well. Check it out when you get the chance. You may like the changes you see.

2.) Ren Kayashima can now be your friend on Facebook. I know that many people are concerned about sharing info. Don't worry about that. I'm not saying people have to follow me there. I created the account to talk with several people on that also created separate accounts. I'll be posting links and a lot more updates there. If you don't want to do that, I also have a twitter and tumblr. Mostly because I get really bored.

Drop me a review because I know you want to.

Shane


	23. Chapter 23

Author: Ren Kayashima

Genre: Family/ Mystery

Rating: T

Disclaimer: Alas my top secret mission to steal the rights to Criminal Minds failed. At the last minute my repel line broke and I was arrested for trespassing on ABC ground. If you would like to help me with bail money…

_**Shout Outs: Kimd33: The Big Bang Theory is a comedy on CBS. It has Darlene's boyfriend from Rosanne. It's pretty funny.**_

_**P95000: Well, we'll see what comes in this chapter. Kyle will be a part of the next story, so…**_

_**Sexysnake: Thank you. I hope you like the ending.**_

0o0o0o0

Chapter Twenty-Three:

"You aren't going to charge him rent," Rori stated adamantly. She looked at herself in the bathroom mirror of the two bedroom hotel suite. "After all, you don't charge me rent." The eighteen year old was in a knee length navy cotton dress and her hair had been curled into loose ringlets.

"You're my daughter," Dave said as he walked into the bathroom. He was in jeans and a red t-shirt. "You look great," he told her trying to change the subject, but Rori wouldn't hear of it.

"He's my brother. Practically your step-son. Come on dad, you don't charge me rent because I'm going to school. Why not apply that same logic to Kyle. He's only ever lived in the dorms of GWU. That's a pathetic living and you know it. It's not like we don't have room for him. We have two other rooms if you leave out the designated guest room."

Dave sighed in defeat. He wasn't going to win this argument. Rori's arguments were valid, and it wasn't like he needed the rent money. It just sounded like a nice idea after Kyle had walked out on Rori at the hospital. "He has to follow the same rules you do," he told her as she slipped her new pair of black glasses on. He left the bathroom and grabbed his FBI windbreaker. "We need to go if you're going to be on time to your performance."

Julliard was putting on their summer concert and all of Rori and Kaoru's hard work was going to be shown to the people of New York. The BAU had traveled all the way to The Big Apple just to see Rori play the piano.

"So Kyle can move in?" Rori asked as she kissed her dad on the cheek. Once he nodded, she grinned. "Thank you!"

"Not so fast," Dave said holding out a midnight blue shawl. "We need to sit down and talk about this when we get back to Virginia."

Rori and Dave had been talking about Kyle moving in for a week, but Dave wasn't ready to open his door and say 'Welcome to my home'.

Rori took the shawl and draped it over her shoulders. She grabbed a small blue clutch from the entry table. "I think we can come up with a suitable arrangement."

Dave looked at his watch again. Another minute in this hotel room and they would be late. "Rori, we need to go. The Kayashima's are waiting for us downstairs. You and Kaoru are supposed to arrive together, and the rest of the team is already at the park."

Rori looked at the ground. "I wish there weren't here," she mumbled.

Dave stopped in his tracks. Where had this come from? "You've performed in front of them before," he told her.

"This is different," Rori said. "There's going to be more people there. I'll be working with a very large orchestra. An orchestra full of music prodigies. I'm just a normal college student. I'm studying English and Psychology, not the works of Verdi and Puccini."

"Rori, you're just as knowledgeable as the Julliard students when it comes to music. You don't need to learn more because you already know what you need to know. That's all that matters," Dave assured her. He put his hands on her shoulders and smiled. "Take deep breaths, and just remember that you won't be alone on that stage. Kaoru will be there conducting the rest of the orchestra while you play the piano."

Rori smiled weakly and nodded. The way her stomach was flip flopping made her want to throw up. She wanted to lock herself in the bathroom and never come out. It was one thing to perform in a small art gallery. It was something else to be a lead performer in Central Park. Thousands of people were going to be there and she wasn't ready.

Dave pulled Rori into a tight hug. "I'm proud of you," he told her. And he really was. She had survived her freshman year of college, two serial killers, and a jealous journalist. If she could so all of that and maintain a 4.0, then surely playing the piano wouldn't be too hard.

Rori hugged him back and buried her face in his broad chest. "I'm sure we can find someone else to play the piano."

Dave chuckled. "I wouldn't be a very good dad if I didn't tell you to buck up and face your stage fright head on."

"I know. It was worth a try anyway," Rori sighed in defeat. She couldn't win every battle. She had to do this. She had been working on composing music since January. Kaoru and she had spent many sleepless nights in Julliard's practice room trying to come up with the perfect musical scores, and not it was time to show the world what they had come up with. It was an honor to be a featured composer for an event like this.

When Dave and Rori entered the hotel lobby, Rori let out a deep breath that she had been holding in the elevator. "I can do this," she said more to herself than anyone else.

The limo ride to Central Park was awkward and silent. Rori was curled up next to Kenta as he read a book. The other half of the Kayashima twins was busy mulling over his musical score sheets, moving his hands in the appropriate gestures as the music played in his head.

Kimi Kayashima looked at Dave, "So are your parents coming? I know you invited them. Kukai wanted to come, but he had a business meeting in Japan."

Rori sat up quickly. "What!" she yelped.

"Yes, they're coming with Joseph," Dave said as he looked at his daughter's panic stricken face. "Rori, they love hearing you play. Also, I'm not going to take the flak for not telling them about this. They still haven't forgiven me for not telling them about you the minute I found out."

Rori buried her face in her hands. "This is so not happening to me," she moaned. "How could you invite them?"

"Rori, they've know about this even since you performed at the gallery opening in February. I told them about it after you failed to mention it to me."

"If Joseph's there, he'll know when I make a mistake!" Rori shouted.

Kenta pulled Rori back into her seat. "Relax; you won't be able to see him. There will be thousands of people there."

The limo pulled to a stop, and Rori quickly shot out. Nothing anybody was saying was quelling the teen's fears. If anything, it made things worse. She spotted Kyle getting off his motorcycle and ran over to him in her three inch heels. "I can't do this. Take me home."

Kyle watched as Dave stepped out of the limo. He had only arrived in New York a half hour ago, and Dave's face told him that he would be staying the weekend like everyone else. The look the senior agent gave him was somewhere in the realm of 'If you take her home, I'll shoot you'.

"Sure you can," he smiled nervously. "You've been practicing nonstop for a week here in Manhattan. Forget how many people are going to be watching you, and just play the music."

Kenta walked over. "Come on, you and Kaoru need to check in."

"Rori!"

Mama Rossi came hurrying over with her husband and Joseph in tow. The older woman held a bouquet of silver roses. Mama Rossi stopped and gave Rori the once over. "Rori, you're beautiful," she said. She offered the roses. "These are for you. I know you won't disappoint."

Rori gulped as she took the flowers. Did her grandmother really have to phrase it like that? She looked at her brother and Kenta helplessly. Sadly, they couldn't help her either.

Kaoru walked over and grabbed Rori's open hand. He smiled at Mama Rossi apologetically. "I'm sorry Mrs. Rossi. Rori and I need to check in with the concert director. He's kind of my professor and holds my grade in his hands still. I don't need to piss him off. Do enjoy the show; we've worked very hard to put on an unforgettable performance."

He dragged Rori away from the group and decided to act as the best friend that he had always been to the girl. "I'm nervous too," he told her. "But we'll be on stage together, so I know I'm not alone."

Rori smiled and swallowed hard. "Thank you," she said. "That's what I needed to hear."

"I know you better than your boyfriend, AKA my brother. It's why we work so well together. Now let's go before someone else tells us to break a leg," Kaoru said with a cheesy grin.

Rori laughed. "Knowing me, that would actually happen."

Meanwhile Dave met up with the rest of the BAU. He smiled when he spotted young Jack Hotchner holding a bouquet of gerberas. He walked over and crouched down. "Are those for Rori?" he asked.

"Yes," Jack grinned. One of his front teeth was missing and there was a slight whistle.

Hotch came over and sweeped Jack up into his arms and gave the boy a tight hug. He looked at Dave. "Jack picked them out all by himself. Right buddy?" he said. "How is she?"

"Scared, she's never performed in front of this many people."

Garcia bounced over in her red vintage dress. "Did you tell her that we're all here to support her?"

"That's what scares her. She doesn't want to disappoint us," Kenta spoke from a couple feet away. He had his phone out. Texting Rori no doubt.

The master of ceremonies came out as people took their seats in the casual park setting. There were blankets and lawn chairs scattered about for people to relax and enjoy the music.

"Welcome to another fabulous concert in the park session. Tonight, two young composers have put together a musical score that will take all of us on an amazing journey. We hope you enjoy the music you hear tonight, and we encourage you to help support these two artists in their future endeavors. Whatever they may be. Now I proudly present Kaoru Kayashima and Rori Morre-Rossi."

Kaoru and Rori came onto the raised stage and Dave grinned as Rori waved to the audience. All signs of her stage fright gone. Kaoru and Rori hugged before they moved to their designated platforms. Rori took a seat at a grand piano and looked at Kaoru.

Dave looked around and though about how perfect this all was. HE was surrounded by friends and family. They all came to support his daughter in what was obviously one of the biggest turning points in her life.

Kyle took a seat on the grass next to Rossi. "Rori's going to be great. She worked hard for this, and we'll see all of that hard work and dedication tonight," he told the senior agent.

Dave watched as Rori lifted her hands up to play. "I know," he nodded. At that moment, in the quiet opening of Central Park, life couldn't get much better.

0o0o0o0

Author's Note: Well I certainly hope I did this ending justice. I like it, and I hope you did too. Now it's time to work on the newest installment of the Tarot series.

_**Important News: 1.)**_ The month of August is going to be full of changes. I'm going back and working on editing and rewriting _The Death Card_ so that the material is more like what I'm posting at the moment. So I'll be keeping people posted on that as well. Check it out when you get the chance. You may like the changes you see.

2.) Ren Kayashima can now be your friend on Facebook. I know that many people are concerned about sharing info. Don't worry about that. I'm not saying people have to follow me there. I created the account to talk with several people on that also created separate accounts. I'll be posting links and a lot more updates there. If you don't want to do that, I also have a twitter and tumblr. Mostly because I get really bored.

Drop me a review because I know you want to.

Shane


End file.
